Arizona Cardinals make cuts after third preseason game
Aug 31, 2015, 12:19 PM | Updated: 1:24 pm
The Arizona Cardinals cut 10 players Monday after their third preseason game Sunday night.
“The first wave is done, and we’re down to the 75 limit,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. “A lot of battles still going on, for these two practices and Thursday night, to determine those last spots as well as practice squad spots.”
Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander was among the most notable names on the list. The veteran was released after two seasons with the team. He had 13 tackles last season, seven of which came on special teams.
“It’s always hard when you let a vet go, who’s kind of been a cornerstone, a captain for two years,” Arians said. “It’s never easy saying goodbye to those guys.”
The other name that may be a surprise to some is Dave Zastudil. The veteran punter who missed most of last season with an injury lost out on a competition with the player who replaced him last season, Drew Butler.
“I think he won the battle, easily, on a daily basis,” Arians said of Butler.
The 36-year-old Zastudil had been with the Cardinals since 2011, and in 2013 averaged 45.7 yards per kick with 35 punts being downed inside the 20.
Last season, Butler averaged 42.1 yards on 79 punts, with five going for touchbacks and 34 being downed inside the 20. People remember his horrific performance in the playoffs, where Butler averaged just 34.8 yards on his nine punts, but Arians is confident the 26-year-old has improved since then.
“He had a heck of a year other than the playoff game — the playoff game he struggled getting out of a funk, but he’s hit it really solid the whole time,” Arians said.
The other eight players released are former University of Arizona cornerback Shaquille Richardson, linebackers Glenn Carson, Edwin Jackson and Andrae Kirk, guard Nate Isles, tight end Gannon Sinclair, wide receiver Ryan Spadola and cornerback Darren Woodard.
Along with the cuts, the Cardinals waived/injured wide receiver Travis Harvey.
