Cardinals trade RB Corey Kiner to the Patriots for 2028 7th-round draft pick
The news comes as the Cardinals make their first move toward finalizing their 53-man roster ahead of cutdown day on Sunday.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - AUGUST 22: Corey Kiner #37 of the Arizona Cardinals rushes the football against the Dallas Cowboys during the preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Arizona Cardinals traded running back Corey Kiner to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, the team announced.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news Saturday morning.
The news comes as the Cardinals make their first move toward finalizing their 53-man roster ahead of the roster-cutdown deadline on Sunday.
Kiner entered the NFL in 2025 with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Cincinnati. After being waived by the 49ers in August and spending time on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad, he was signed by the Cardinals in December and played in four games.
Kiner played in all four games for the Cardinals in the preseason, rushing for 182 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 35 yards on just five carries in the Cardinals’ preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers on Friday.
The second-year running back was likely going to have a tough time making Arizona’s 53-man roster with rookie Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier headlining the Cardinals’ running back room. Veteran James Conner continues to work his way back from a season-ending foot injury last season. Bam Knight is another player who could be the Cardinals’ RB3 with Conner out.
Kiner’s trade comes as another move in the Cardinals’ running back room after Arizona waived running back Trey Benson on Monday.
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Comments
2 Comments
Not a surprise, RB is a position where the Cards are stacked, and Hull's showing last night made it even more so.
I'd expect them to try to get an RB on the practice squad as you never know how injuries are going to go, so I wonder if Kiner was the only one with trade value and now the target is to try to get Hull there.
I wonder if this signals that both Jeremiyah Love and James Conner are both further along in their rehab and might actually be ready for Week 1 or 2? That would be excellent news as it could really help out the Defense, who is easily the biggest weakness. If Arizona gets both Love and Conner back, I would think the odds of Arizona pulling off the upset of the Chargers would be a whole lot better.
The Chargers have had major injuries to their offensive line (2 starters), and 3 of their top line WRs.
2 Weeks to get ready Gentlemen. I'm salvating at the prospect of rotating Love, Conner and Allegeier, and they using the play action game to get big chunk plays.