Cardinals pass rusher Jesse Luketa lands on IR

Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Jesse Luketa was placed on injured reserve and will miss the final three games of the regular season with a thigh injury.

The Cardinals announced the roster move as they elevated linebacker Milo Eifler from the practice squad to the active roster on Friday.

Luketa, a seventh-round pick by Arizona in 2022, has developed into a reliable backup edge rusher.

He finishes 2024 with a career-high 21 tackles and three sacks with a forced fumble and 6.5 stuffs. That last statistic showed his improvements in stopping the run that had been his biggest sign of development over his three seasons.

Luketa earned regular snaps from Week 5 to Week 14. He played anywhere from 15 to 24 plays on defense while also being utilized on special teams during that span.

He joins the group of pass rushers who ended up finishing their season on the injured reserve. The Cardinals lost BJ Ojulari, a projected starter, before the year and Dennis Gardeck in the middle of it.

Eifler, a 26-year-old, has jumped around since entering the league in 2021 out of Illinois. He has played for the Jets, Dolphins, Falcons and Cardinals and most notably appeared for Washington in 2022, recording 10 tackles that season.

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