CARDINALS CORNER
Arizona Cardinals trim down their roster to 53 players
The Arizona Cardinals solidified their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.
It’s been a busy day of roster construction for the Cardinals, who also swung a trade for Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Trayvon Mullen in exchange for a reported conditional seventh-round draft pick that could become a sixth-rounder depending on the cornerback’s playing time.
And for those who did not make the final 53-man roster can still find their way back to the team through the practice squad if they clear waivers.
Here is a full look at who cracked the roster:
Arizona Cardinals’ 2022 53-man roster
QB(2): Kyler Murray, Colt McCoy
Despite head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s affinity for the quarterback position, he opted to keep two signal callers instead of three like many expected. That left QB Trace McSorley as the odd man out. The QB had his moments over the course of training camp and the preseason and could be back as a practice squad body.
RB(5): James Conner, Eno Benjamin, Darrel Williams, Jonathan Ward, Keaontay Ingram
After weeks of speculation as to who was the odd man out in the RB room, Arizona decided to keep all five candidates.
WR(6): Hollywood Brown, A.J. Green, Rondale Moore, Antoine Wesley, Greg Dortch, Andy Isabella
DeAndre Hopkins’ six-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs opens up a roster spot in the WR room, allowing both Dortch and Isabella to crack the initial roster. Isabella, however, does not want to be a depth piece and would instead prefer a fresh start, per Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.
TE(3): Zach Ertz, Maxx Williams, Trey McBride
Stephen Anderson did not make the 53-man roster but was out at practice on Tuesday. Look for him to make the practice squad if he clears waivers.
OL(9): D.J. Humphries, Justin Pugh, Rodney Hudson, Will Hernandez, Kelvin Beachum, Cody Ford, Josh Jones, Sean Harlow, Lecitus Smith
The Cardinals opted for youth at the backend of the depth chart in Smith, while the team waived/injured Josh Miles and reached an injury settlement with Justin Murray. Rookie Marquis Hayes was placed on the injured reserve due to a knee issue, ending his season.
DL(6): DE J.J. Watt, DE Zach Allen, DT Rashard Lawrence, DT Leki Fotu, DE Michael Dogbe, DE Jonathan Ledbetter
The trio of Watt, Allen and Lawrence will get the starting nod, with Fotu, Dogbe and Ledbetter providing depth. Antwaun Woods was released while Christian Ringo reached an injury settlement with the team.
ILB(6): Zaven Collins, Nick Vigil, Isaiah Simmons, Tanner Vallejo, Ezekiel Turner, Ben Niemann
Simmons will rock the green dot in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The star backer is also going to be used in the secondary.
OLB(5): Markus Golden, Dennis Gardeck, Myjai Sanders, Cameron Thomas, Victor Dimukeje
The young guns at outside linebacker showed enough to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to warrant roster spots over the likes of veteran Devon Kennard.
CB(5): Byron Murphy Jr, Marco Wilson, Antonio Hamilton, Trayvon Mullen, Christian Matthew
With Tuesday’s trade for Mullen, the Cardinals added more depth to the position after releasing Josh Jackson a day prior. Mullen could very well challenge for a starting role opposite Murphy with Hamilton dealing with an undisclosed injury and Wilson losing out on the job this camp.
S(4): Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Deionte Thompson, Charles Washington
Jalen Thompson continues to improve. He and Baker make up one of the best safety tandems in football.
ST(2): K Matt Prater, P Andy Lee
Surprisingly, the Cardinals do not currently have a long snapper on the roster. Aaron Brewer was among the 18 players cut on Tuesday but is expected back on the roster. A player getting placed on the short-term injured reserve should open up a spot for Brewer.
