Cardinals camp notebook: AQ Shipley carted off field with injury

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Cardinals starting center A.Q. Shipley had to leave the Red & White practice at University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday after suffering an injury during red zone drills. Shipley limped off the field and was examined inside a tent on the sidelines for privacy.

Teammates D.J. Humphries and Larry Fitzgerald both ducked inside the tent to check on Shipley.

After a few minutes, Shipley exited the tent and was carted off the field to the locker room. Coach Steve Wilks did not address the media after practice so there was no update on Shipley’s status or the nature of his injury.

“It’s always tough,” defensive lineman Corey Peters said of the injury. “He’s one of our veteran leaders, somebody that’s been in the league a long time and knows what to expect. He helps the other guys around him. We’re just going to be praying for him, hoping everything is alright. You hate to see a guy leave practice, especially a good guy like that.”

Shipley has not missed a start in the past two seasons with the Cardinals. Third-round pick (2018) Mason Cole, who had been playing center with the second team, replaced him.

The Cardinals do not practice again until Monday.

HEAD-ON COLLISION

Running back Chase Edmonds, the team’s fourth-round pick this year, wowed the crowd on a run during 11-on-11 drills. When he broke through to the second level, Edmonds lowered his shoulder and flattened safety Budda Baker. When asked about it afterward, Edmonds treated the question like a hot potato.

“We always get talked to about physicality and I want to make sure I run physical, but I don’t want to make anything of it,” Edmonds said. “Budda is a tremendous player for this team. It just happened it turned out the way it did.”

When it was suggested that reporters should ask Baker for his take on the play, Edmonds turned sheepish.

“Please don’t,” he said, smiling. “I don’t want a target on my number from the defense. I’m trying to make it through this camp and just continue to learn.”

Edmonds also noted that safety Antoine Bethea also nailed him with a hard hit on Saturday.

“I won’t get caught lacking again,” he said. “I got pretty pissed about that one. I always tell the vet guys that I’d rather have them go too hard on me now so when I get in that first preseason game it’s not a shock to me.”

BUCANNON DAY-TO-DAY

If the Cardinals are going to have success this season, a lot of it will start with the defense. For that unit to be effective, Deone Bucannon will need to be making plays in the middle of it, so it was a pretty big deal Saturday when Steve Wilks confirmed there was no structural damage in Bucannon’s left knee.

“Huge. Huge sigh of relief,” Bucannon acknowledged. “Right after I hit it, I was sending as many prayers up as possible. Like I said, I just got done going through that kind of process, and I definitely didn’t want to go through it again.”

The 25-year old linebacker suffered the injury when receiver Brice Butler inadvertently hit him in the knee with his helmet during Thursday’s practice. There’s no specific timetable set for his return just yet, but Wilks called him day-to-day.

“I feel good,” Bucannon explained. “I feel good, I’m going to be back. It’s nothing serious. So thank God for that. It could’ve been a lot worse. Like I said, I’ll be back soon. I’m just glad it wasn’t anything that was going to put me back on that trainer’s table for a long time. So I’m happy about that, and I’m excited to get these mental reps and continue to learn.”

EXTRA POINTS

— Cardinals officials estimated a crowd of about 20,000 attended Saturday’s practice.

— Cornerback Patrick Peterson had an interception of a Sam Bradford deep pass in 11-on-11 drills.

— Undrafted rookie free agent receiver Trent Sherfield (Vanderbilt) took some first-team reps in 11-on-11 drills.

— NFL Network will begin its A Football Life series on Sept. 14 with a profile of former Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer.

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