Cooking accident puts Cardinals CB Antonio Hamilton on IR

The Arizona Cardinals placed projected No. 2 cornerback Antonio Hamilton on the reserve/non-football injury list due to a “cooking accident in his home,” reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The team announced the move and said it has re-signed tight end Stephen Anderson, long snapper Aaron Brewer and rookie cornerback Christian Matthew.

Arizona moved Hamilton to the non-football IR and also shifted receiver Antoine Wesley and safety Charles Washington to the standard injured reserve.

Additionally, the team signed linebacker Devon Kennard, safeties Steve Parker and Josh Thomas, plus offensive lineman Badara Traore to the practice squad.

Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reports Hamilton suffered burns to his arm and both feet that required him to visit Valleywise Medical Center.

Hamilton tweeted a photo of his injuries (Warning: Graphic images) and wrote the following on Twitter:

“Had the greatest camp of my career & last Monday I had (an) accident that could’ve ended up deadly for me & my family but instead I got the short end of it by having my feet severely burned (2nd degree),” he wrote. “It was literally a freak accident and God spared me to only have these injuries.”

The injuries keep the player who won the No. 2 cornerback job out for at least four games to start the regular season.

Hamilton would be eligible to return on Oct. 9 for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He will miss games against Kansas City, Las Vegas, the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury pegged Hamilton as a starter on Aug. 18 after the corner wrestled away the job from second-year pro Marco Wilson.

Now Wilson likely slides into the starting role after No. 1 cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. Arizona also could turn to Trayvon Mullen, who the team acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday for a conditional seventh-round pick.

The Cardinals also filled the cornerback room by claiming nickel Javelin Guidry off waivers from the New York Jets on Wednesday.

Hamilton originally joined the Cardinals ahead of the start of last season as a practice squad addition. He eventually beat out Rasul Douglas, carving a path onto the active roster.

He played significant backup reps in games last year before rising to the top of the depth chart with a strong offseason.

“Antonio Hamilton’s been, really, I would say a nice surprise. But we knew what type of competitor he was,” Kingsbury said. “I think he’s continued to ascend and really taken over that No. 2 spot, as of now.

“Physical, tough, edgy, every day has a chip on his shoulder. I really like what we’ve seen of him.”

Playing in 17 games (two starts) in Arizona last year, Hamilton posted 38 tackles to go along with one tackle for loss, four passes defended and one forced fumble. He saw 312 snaps (29% of available reps) on defense and 208 (47%) on special teams.

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