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The Arizona Cardinals announced their final 53-man roster on Tuesday, Aug. 26, shortly after the 1 p.m. deadline to trim down from 90-man preseason rosters.
The roster release was most notable for the status of first-round defensive tackle Walter Nolen. He will remain on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a calf injury sustained at the team facility a week before training. That means that he will miss the first four weeks of the season and cannot begin practicing until Oct. 1, after the Cardinals' Week 4 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
In other injury news, the Cardinals placed offensive linemen Hayden Conner and Christian Jones on injured reserve with a designation to return. Like Nolen, they must miss the first four weeks of the season.
The Cardinals did not place Justin Jones on injured reserve, although they did release long snapper Aaron Brewer. In the past, they have released Brewer to circumvent IR restrictions, as only two players can have a designation to return when rosters are initially trimmed down. That could indicate that they plan to place Jones on IR later in the week and re-sign Brewer once he clears waivers. That would enable Jones to return this season, like Conner and Jones.
The injury news, though, wasn't all bad. The Cardinals activated guard Will Hernandez from the PUP list, meaning that he can return within the first four weeks of the season. He has not yet practiced as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in October.
Meanwhile, edge rusher B.J. Ojulari and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols both remained on the PUP list. Ojulari tore his ACL last August and Nichols suffered a neck injury in October. Neither of them have practiced since their injuries.
Like the players on injured reserve, those two will miss the first four weeks of the season. The key difference is that only eight players per season can return from injured reserve. Ojulari and Nichols do not count toward that quota.
Beyond the injury news, the most surprising news when the Cardinals announced their roster came at running back. Zonovan Knight and Emari Demercado both made the roster, with DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter missing out.
Knight spent the preseason mired on the depth chart, mostly working with the third-team offense, but he made an impression with a 67-yard touchdown run in the preseason finale. Dallas was not in line for major work on offense, but he spent last season as the Cardinals' primary kick returner. With his release, Greg Dortch could be in line for more work as a return man.
Wide receiver Simi Fehoko was also a surprise exclusion, although he announced that news earlier in the day on his TikTok account. His release leaves the Cardinals with just five receivers on the final roster.
The Cardinals' draft class, on the other hand, is looking strong. Seventh-round safety Kitan Crawford made the roster, as did undrafted free agent tackle Josh Fryar.
There is still work to be done for general manager Monti Ossenfort and his staff. Once players pass through waivers, the Cardinals must re-sign 16 players to their practice squad. The majority of those players will likely come from their own cuts. They could also look to bolster their 53-man roster with waiver claims, although they sit 16th in the waiver order, making that avenue more difficult than it has been in years past.
For now, though, here is the roster:
Quarterback (2): Kyler Murray, Jacoby Brissett
Running back (4): James Conner, Trey Benson, Emari Demercado, Zonovan Knight
Wide receiver (5): Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zay Jones, Xavier Weaver
Tight end (4): Trey McBride, Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins, Travis Vokolek
Offensive tackle (4): Paris Johnson Jr., Jonah Williams, Kelvin Beachum, Josh Fryar
Interior offensive line (5): Evan Brown, Hjalte Froholdt, Isaiah Adams, Jon Gaines, Will Hernandez
Interior defensive line (7): Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson, Darius Robinson, Dante Stills, L.J. Collier, P.J. Mustipher, Justin Jones
Edge rusher (5): Josh Sweat, Baron Browning, Zaven Collins, Jordan Burch, Xavier Thomas
Inside linebacker (4): Mack Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Cody Simon, Owen Pappoe
Cornerback (6): Max Melton, Will Johnson, Garrett Williams, Kei’Trel Clark, Denzel Burke, Elijah Jones
Safety (5): Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Kitan Crawford, Joey Blount
Kicker (1): Chad Ryland
Punter (1): Blake Gillikin
Long snapper (1): Aaron Brewer
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals set 53-man roster on 2025 NFL cut day: See the team
Continue reading...
The roster release was most notable for the status of first-round defensive tackle Walter Nolen. He will remain on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a calf injury sustained at the team facility a week before training. That means that he will miss the first four weeks of the season and cannot begin practicing until Oct. 1, after the Cardinals' Week 4 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
In other injury news, the Cardinals placed offensive linemen Hayden Conner and Christian Jones on injured reserve with a designation to return. Like Nolen, they must miss the first four weeks of the season.
The Cardinals did not place Justin Jones on injured reserve, although they did release long snapper Aaron Brewer. In the past, they have released Brewer to circumvent IR restrictions, as only two players can have a designation to return when rosters are initially trimmed down. That could indicate that they plan to place Jones on IR later in the week and re-sign Brewer once he clears waivers. That would enable Jones to return this season, like Conner and Jones.
The injury news, though, wasn't all bad. The Cardinals activated guard Will Hernandez from the PUP list, meaning that he can return within the first four weeks of the season. He has not yet practiced as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in October.
Meanwhile, edge rusher B.J. Ojulari and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols both remained on the PUP list. Ojulari tore his ACL last August and Nichols suffered a neck injury in October. Neither of them have practiced since their injuries.
Like the players on injured reserve, those two will miss the first four weeks of the season. The key difference is that only eight players per season can return from injured reserve. Ojulari and Nichols do not count toward that quota.
Beyond the injury news, the most surprising news when the Cardinals announced their roster came at running back. Zonovan Knight and Emari Demercado both made the roster, with DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter missing out.
Knight spent the preseason mired on the depth chart, mostly working with the third-team offense, but he made an impression with a 67-yard touchdown run in the preseason finale. Dallas was not in line for major work on offense, but he spent last season as the Cardinals' primary kick returner. With his release, Greg Dortch could be in line for more work as a return man.
Wide receiver Simi Fehoko was also a surprise exclusion, although he announced that news earlier in the day on his TikTok account. His release leaves the Cardinals with just five receivers on the final roster.
The Cardinals' draft class, on the other hand, is looking strong. Seventh-round safety Kitan Crawford made the roster, as did undrafted free agent tackle Josh Fryar.
There is still work to be done for general manager Monti Ossenfort and his staff. Once players pass through waivers, the Cardinals must re-sign 16 players to their practice squad. The majority of those players will likely come from their own cuts. They could also look to bolster their 53-man roster with waiver claims, although they sit 16th in the waiver order, making that avenue more difficult than it has been in years past.
For now, though, here is the roster:
Quarterback (2): Kyler Murray, Jacoby Brissett
Running back (4): James Conner, Trey Benson, Emari Demercado, Zonovan Knight
Wide receiver (5): Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zay Jones, Xavier Weaver
Tight end (4): Trey McBride, Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins, Travis Vokolek
Offensive tackle (4): Paris Johnson Jr., Jonah Williams, Kelvin Beachum, Josh Fryar
Interior offensive line (5): Evan Brown, Hjalte Froholdt, Isaiah Adams, Jon Gaines, Will Hernandez
Interior defensive line (7): Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson, Darius Robinson, Dante Stills, L.J. Collier, P.J. Mustipher, Justin Jones
Edge rusher (5): Josh Sweat, Baron Browning, Zaven Collins, Jordan Burch, Xavier Thomas
Inside linebacker (4): Mack Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Cody Simon, Owen Pappoe
Cornerback (6): Max Melton, Will Johnson, Garrett Williams, Kei’Trel Clark, Denzel Burke, Elijah Jones
Safety (5): Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Kitan Crawford, Joey Blount
Kicker (1): Chad Ryland
Punter (1): Blake Gillikin
Long snapper (1): Aaron Brewer
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals set 53-man roster on 2025 NFL cut day: See the team
Continue reading...
