Arizona Cardinals make 6 cuts a day before roster reduction deadline

The Arizona Cardinals cut six players on Monday, whittling down the roster before requiring more decisions to be made ahead of the 53-man roster deadline on Tuesday by 1 p.m. MST.

Arizona’s cuts are as follows:

Wide receiver Daylen Baldwin
Linebacker Chris Garrett
Cornerback Delonte Hood
Safety Verone McKinley III
Cornerback Michael Ojemudia
Offensive lineman Austen Pleasants

The moves reduce a busy cornerback room that had 11 players still on the roster for the preseason finale on Sunday, a loss at the Denver Broncos.

Hood played with the Cincinnati Bengals (2022) and Denver Broncos (2022-23) before a stint with the UFL’s Arlington Renegades. He joined Arizona on Aug. 6.

Ojemudia, a 2020 third-round pick by the Broncos, played in Denver (2020-22) before stints with the Chicago Bears (2022) and Los Angeles Rams (2023). He signed a future contract with Arizona in January.

The Cardinals’ cuts do not reduce a muddled group competing at running back. It did chop down the options at receiver, where nine players are still fighting for fewer spots.

Baldwin, who joined Arizona two weeks ago, played for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and since jumped to the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 and Atlanta Falcons this offseason before he was cut in August. The Michigan product has two catches for 25 yards in one game played for the Browns in his NFL career.

With the release of Garrett, the Cardinals’ moves eliminated one player from a group of pass rushers that was deep but without a single proven NFL starter. The OLB group still has seven bodies.

Garrett, however, had NFL experience with three other teams, plus the UFL’s Houston Gamblers and St. Louis Battlehawks.

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