Arizona Cardinals lose starters Mike Iupati, Corey Peters
Aug 20, 2015, 12:51 PM
Defensive lineman Corey Peters grabs Kerwynn Williams' jersey during training camp. (Photo: Adam Green/Arizona Sports)
(Photo: Adam Green/Arizona Sports)
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Meeting the media only 24 hours earlier, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians remarked how the team’s injury list was “getting shorter and shorter”. A list that once contained as many as 14 names was down to five, and none of them serious.
Uh, Coach, you spoke too soon.
The injury list grew by two on Thursday with the addition of left guard Mike Iupati and nose tackle Corey Peters, a pair of starters the Cardinals targeted early in free agency and ultimately signed to multi-year contracts.
Iupati, according to Arians, “will have a meniscus repair” in his left knee and will be out indefinitely.
“It’s nothing serious,” Arians said, “but each guy is a different timetable, so it could be three weeks, it could be eight weeks, but normally with a meniscus it’s nothing serious.”
Peters’ injury is serious.
“The bad news,” Arians said, “Corey Peters tore his Achilles in his other leg yesterday just running against air and will be out for the season.”
In 2013, Peters suffered a torn Achilles in his right leg.
“Obviously he’s devastated,” Arians said. “He’s bounced back from it kind of like Carson (Palmer) has, the second time around. It’s really devastating because he was having such a great camp. He should be able to bounce back mentally quicker.”
Arians elevated rookie Rodney Gunter, a fourth-round pick out of Delaware State, to fill Peters’ spot in the starting lineup.
Meanwhile, sixth-year veteran Ted Larsen will replace Iupati, who may miss up to five regular season games.
The Cardinals lured Iupati, 28, away from rival San Francisco with a five-year, $40 million contract which included $22.5 million guaranteed.
In five seasons with the Niners, Iupati, a three-time Pro Bowler, missed just five games, four because of a knee issue and one due to a concussion sustained last season. He began his career with 58 straight starts before a sprained left MCL sidelined him four weeks in 2013.
Peters, 27, appeared in 70 games, including 55 starts, during his five seasons in Atlanta. A year ago, however, he started only two games while playing 14 as he made his return from a torn Achilles suffered late the season prior.
The Cardinals landed Peters with a three-year, $9.1 million contract, $5.75 million of which was guaranteed.
Arians has long praised the depth along both lines of scrimmages, depth that now will be tested.
“Obviously you don’t want a rash of (injuries) in the same positions, knock on wood,” he said. “You plug in a 17-game starter at left guard until Mike comes back and you’ve got some guys who’ve shown a lot of promise in what we’re trying to get done by the nose guard now on defense.”
