Cardinals S Jalen Thompson activated from IR designated for return list

The Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday activated safety Jalen Thompson from the injured reserve designated for return list, lining him up to play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

Thompson played two snaps in the season opener and injured his ankle against the San Francisco 49ers. Arizona placed him on the IR on Sept. 17.

As a rookie, Thompson played catch-up last season following the Cardinals selecting him in the supplemental draft just before training camp began.

He was starting alongside Pro Bowler Budda Baker by the end of the season and wrapped his rookie campaign with 63 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph credited Thompson for limiting explosive plays by Arizona’s opponents.

“We gave up a lot of big plays last year in the middle of the defense early on,” Joseph said during training camp. “When that kid played, those plays stopped happening. They went from 40-yard gains to 15-yard gains. So his trait is how fast he plays and how well he tackles.”

Veteran Chris Banjo replaced Thompson in the season opener but during his second game as a starter went down with his own injury.

Second-year safety Deionte Thompson, a 2019 fifth-round pick, filled in from there. He played in more than 85% of the snaps over the course of Arizona’s current three-game winning streak.

Thompson is the second starter lifted from the injured reserve designated for return list coming out of Arizona’s bye week. Tight end Maxx Williams was activated on Monday.

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