CARDINALS CORNER
Trayvon Mullen ‘getting closer’ to making Arizona Cardinals debut
TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has yet to see one of his offseason acquisitions in cornerback Trayvon Mullen perform under the lights.
Nabbed by the Cardinals on Aug. 30 in exchange for a late-round pick, Mullen, who has dealt with a toe issue stemming back to last season, has not recorded a week of full practices and has been inactive for both of the team’s matchups in 2022.
For a player that was expected to provide depth to a position group among the thinnest on the Cardinals, Mullen has been anything but.
His days on the shelf could be numbered, however, as he continues to progress both on the field and in the playbook.
“He’s getting closer, at least physically,” Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday. “Mentally, he’s got to get in our system, learn the calls and feel comfortable doing that — particularly against a Rams offense that is so talented. (Rams head coach Sean McVay) does a great job of moving people around, finding matchups, tempo and doing different things.
“We’ll see how the week progresses and hopefully if it’s not this week, hopefully next week he can contribute.”
In an effort to streamline the process, Mullen has been shadowing fellow CB Byron Murphy Jr. at practice. It gives Mullen a chance to continually learn even if he’s not in the drill.
If Mullen were to get up to speed in time for Sunday, he would give the Cardinals another option in the secondary outside of Murphy, Marco Wilson, Christian Matthew and Jace Whittaker (practice squad).
As for wide receiver Rondale Moore, another injured Cardinal who has not seen a regular season snap, it’s all about getting back to full strength.
Despite remaining day to day with a hamstring injury that could reportedly see Moore sidelined for multiple weeks, Kingsbury isn’t ruling out the wide receiver just yet given his knowledge of the playbook.
“We’ve got to just see how this progresses,” Kingsbury said. “He’s a guy that’s very cerebral and knows the system so if he can go by Friday or Saturday, I think we’d feel good about it.”
