ARIZONA CARDINALS

Cardinals CB Robert Alford’s return ‘doesn’t look great’; Wilson day-to-day

Jan 5, 2022, 1:46 PM

(Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)...

(Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)

(Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)

Things aren’t sounding too promising for injured Arizona Cardinals cornerback Robert Alford.

The corner was placed on the injured reserve on Dec. 18 after suffering a pectoral injury in a Week 14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. And While he is eligible to come off the IR starting this week, the move seems highly unlikely given his current status.

“That doesn’t look great for a return within the next couple of weeks at least,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday.

Based on Kingsbury’s timeline, a possible return wouldn’t be in the cards unless the Cardinals made a deep run in the playoffs.

In 13 games this season, Alford recorded an interception, four passes defensed and 30 tackles.

Alford flashed in his return to the football field after missing the past two seasons due to injury, one of which being a pectoral issue.

As for fellow cornerback Marco Wilson, the rookie is considered day-to-day as he works to get back from a shoulder issue sustained in the team’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

“Trying to get that shoulder good enough to practice and start getting back into it,” Kingsbury said. “We’ll see how that plays out this week.”

Wilson wasn’t out with the team during the open portion of practice on Wednesday, but was seen working on the side, per Cardinals reporter Darren Urban.

The rookie has been a big boost for Arizona’s secondary in 2021, tallying four passes defensed, 48 tackles and two forced fumbles over 14 games.

With the pair sidelined, the Cardinals have turned to a group effort to fill their voids, with corners Antonio Hamilton and Kevin Peterson filling in recently.

Peterson played 92% of the defensive snaps (59), making his first start of 2021 in Arizona’s win over the Dallas Cowboys. He turned in the second most tackles on the team with seven.

“I’m a believer that if you can do it in practice, you can do it in a game,” Kingsbury said. “Kevin Peterson was another one that really stepped up the other night, had seven tackles, thought he played well in coverage, but you do it in practice, you work hard, you do things right, we trust them to go in and make plays and they’ve done it.

“With some of the tough injuries we’ve had, we’ve needed guys to step up and they proved it in practice that they could do it and just exciting to see it transition onto the field whenever they can make plays like that.”

EXTRA POINT

– Kingsbury considers injured running backs James Conner and Chase Edmonds as day-to-day:

“We’ll see how they progress throughout the week. Those are two guys that we need healthy moving into the playoffs, obviously, so we gotta be smart with them but if they can go, we’ll definitely try and get some work.”

Arizona Cardinals

Tush push...

Associated Press

Chiefs think they have answer for Eagles’ tush push in Super Bowl

No team has taken advantage of the tush push the way the Eagles have, but the Chiefs think they have an answer for a play deemed unstoppable.

9 hours ago

Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort looks on. It's officially NFL mock draft season with Arizona's...

Tyler Drake

NFL mock draft tracker: What will Cardinals do with No. 16 pick?

A look across the NFL mock draft landscape when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals' No. 16 overall pick in this year's draft.

19 hours ago

Bidwill...

Associated Press

Former Cardinals employee files lawsuit against owner Michael Bidwill for verbal abuse

A former assistant to Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill filed a lawsuit against him, saying that she was verbally abused during her tenure.

1 day ago

Larry Fitzgerald...

Damon Allred

Larry Fitzgerald praises Kenny Dillingham following ASU offer to son Devin

Larry Fitzgerald threw some credit Kenny Dillingham's way following his son's recent offer to be a Sun Devil.

2 days ago

Arizona Cardinals is embracing change amid coaching staff carousel....

Tyler Drake

‘Part of the business’: Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon facing new challenge in Year 3

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is facing a new reality with the departures of multiple assistants this offseason.

3 days ago

A recent ESPN mock draft has the Cardinals taking two cornerbacks in the first two rounds of the NF...

Brandon Cadiz

ESPN’s Matt Miller has Cardinals taking two CBs in Mock Draft

ESPN's analyst Matt Miller has the Cardinals taking two cornerbacks with their first two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

4 days ago

Cardinals CB Robert Alford’s return ‘doesn’t look great’; Wilson day-to-day