Cardinals place Nkemdiche and Armbrister on IR, sign 3 players

The Arizona Cardinals announced Tuesday that defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and linebacker Thurston Armbrister were each placed on injured reserve.

The team also signed defensive tackle Vincent Valentine from the Seattle Seahawks practice squad along with linebacker Jonathan Anderson, while signing offensive lineman Justin Evans to their own practice squad.

Head coach Steve Wilks already said on Monday that Nkemdiche would be done for the season to undergo knee surgery for an injury he sustained on Sunday in the Cardinals’ loss to the Detroit Lions.

“Last couple of weeks, I thought he played well,” Wilks said. “He had that lull when he was hurt, he was out for a while. I thought he came back and had a great game against the Chargers. Again, just inconsistent because he hasn’t been on the field.”

Armbrister was on the Cardinals’ practice squad and got elevated to the active roster on Nov. 30. He appeared for the Cardinals in the game against the Lions, the only game he’s played for Arizona so far. He recorded one tackle.

Valentine is a returning member of the Cardinals, since he was one the team’s practices squad for three weeks earlier this season. He also spent time this year on the practice squads for New England and Seattle. He’s 24 years of age and was a third-round pick by the Patriots in 2016.

Anderson played three seasons in Chicago through last year, making 40 tackles in 31 games in that span (three starts) with two passes defensed and an interception. He is an alumnus of TCU and was released by the Bears on Sept. 25.

Evans was originally an undrafted free agent from South Carolina State and has spent time in the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins organizations.

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