Cardinals allowing legal process to play out after DE Darius Philon’s arrest

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said the Arizona Cardinals are aware of Darius Philon’s arrest on an assault charge but would not comment on the defensive end’s future with the team.

“With regards to Darius Philon, obviously we’re aware of the situation and the serious allegations,” Kingsbury said. “It’s been reported to the league so we will allow that process, from a legal perspective and the league standpoint, to move forward and aren’t allowed to comment further at this time.”

Kingsbury would not say whether the team has or would suspend Philon, who was booked Friday on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office website.

Philon was not present Saturday when the Cardinals’ open portion of practice began. Rookie defensive end Zach Allen is expected to join Rodney Gunter and Corey Peters on starting the defensive line if Philon is not with the team.

“We feel like he can kind of do it all,” Kingsbury said of Allen. “If we ask him to stand up, he’s probably versatile enough to do that as well. Kind of a jack-of-all-trades.”

Second-year pro Sterling Bailey and rookie seventh-round pick Michael Dogbe are the other two defensive ends on the Cardinals roster, and Kingsbury confirmed the team is open to adding more depth along the defensive line.

“I think that’s an area that with Steve (Keim) that we’ll have to address where we’re at depth-wise to get through camp and continue to evaluate players on that D-line,” he said. “But I like what Zach Allen has brought. I’m really excited that we have him here, obviously.”

Philon signed a two-year, $10 million deal with Arizona this offseason and was slotted in as a starting defensive end. That deal included a $4 million signing bonus, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson.

The 25-year-old played in all 32 regular season games for the Los Angeles Chargers over the past two years, producing a combined 64 tackles and 8.5 sacks.

The Cardinals had already been hit with a loss along the defensive line when 2016 first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche was pulled over for traffic violations twice this offseason before arriving to training camp out of shape as he recovered from an ACL tear in December. The team waived Nkemdiche on July 27, and he has since signed with the Miami Dolphins after clearing waivers.

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