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When the Arizona Cardinals took the field on May 28 for the first of nine offseason organized team practices — or OTAs — they were without some notable pieces.
Among the players not seen at practice were edge rushers Josh Sweat and B.J. Ojulari; defensive tackles Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson and Bilal Nichols; and offensive linemen Hjalte Froholdt and Kelvin Beachum.
Ojulari tore his ACL in training camp on Aug. 2, so his absence did not come as a surprise. The same goes for Nichols, who suffered a season-ending neck injury in October.
The 38-year-old Campbell and 35-year-old Beachum were also logical absences. Froholdt, meanwhile, posted on social media from phase two of the offseason program, which featured individual workouts, indicating that his absence may have been an aberration.
Sweat and Tomlinson — both of whom signed with the Cardinals in free agency — were the most surprising players missing on May 28. Sweat inked a four-year, $76.4 million deal while Tomlinson will make $29 million over two years.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon, though, was not bothered by the absences. Each of the Cardinals’ three practices this week and next week are optional. They then have three days of mandatory minicamp from June 10-12 before breaking until training camp begins in late July.
“Because it is voluntary, I ask them, just communicate with me,” Gannon said before practice. “Our guys have done an excellent job communicating with me. So that's good to see.”
Gannon was not available after practice to discuss specific absences — which also included two notable players working on the side of the field, away from team drills.
Jonah Williams, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in December, worked with trainers in a t-shirt and shorts.
First-round pick Walter Nolen also worked with trainers, although he was wearing a jersey and pads. Nolen, along with second-round pick Will Johnson, has not yet signed his rookie contract. Unlike Nolen, Johnson did take part in team drills. The other five draft picks have all signed their contracts.
In his rookie season, the Cardinals deployed Marvin Harrison Jr. with a heavy dosage of downfield routes.
Of his 116 targets, 30 came on go routes or fades — two routes that essentially ask receivers to run directly downfield. That was the second-highest number in the NFL, behind only Malik Nabers, but Harrison was not particularly effective on those plays. He hauled in just six catches on those 30 targets for 114 yards.
But this offseason, the Cardinals did not add a field-stretching wide receiver — a player who could have, in theory, relieved Harrison of some of that downfield burden.
So on May 28, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was asked whether he still envisions using Harrison on those types of routes.
“Absolutely,” Petzing replied. “I think if you look at his skill set, there's not a lot of things I'm gonna tell you he can't do. So stretch the field, play underneath, play in the slot, move around the formation, play outside, I think that's what makes him so dynamic.”
The first year of Darius Robinson’s NFL career was, in his words, “the hardest year of my life, but then it was the best year of my life in the same year.”
He realized his professional dream by being selected in the first round of the NFL draft. He also suffered personal tragedy, losing his mom, Valori, in October. At the same time, he dealt with a nagging calf injury that delayed his NFL debut by 11 weeks, a process that left him frustrated, stuck on the sidelines and unable to contribute. When he returned, he only sporadically flashed the talent that made him the 27th overall pick.
The arrival of the offseason, then, provided Robinson with a chance to breathe. Freed from the daily grind of the season, he finally had some time to process it all.
“Going back to Michigan, taking care of some family stuff, trying to get closure with everything with my mom,” Robinson said. “But also thinking about this season and just replaying — I only played six games but just constantly rethinking about those six games and thinking about what I need to do to make that next jump in my game.”
As part of that process, he thought back to training camp, when he felt “hot” and ready to contribute. When he returned, he said, “it was just cool.”
Since Robinson returned to Arizona, his focus has been on recreating that “hot” feeling. He added considerable bulk, although he declined to say exactly how much weight he put on. But more than anything, he feels that his six games in the NFL have prepared him to understand what is required to succeed.
“At my lowest, I kept showing up each day, I kept fighting in the pursuit of my dreams,” Robinson said. “And I realize, it can't get worse than that. So honestly, just keep putting one foot in front of another and just go. Just really enjoy this. It's a blessing being here.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Key Cardinals stars absent from first day of OTAs
Continue reading...
Among the players not seen at practice were edge rushers Josh Sweat and B.J. Ojulari; defensive tackles Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson and Bilal Nichols; and offensive linemen Hjalte Froholdt and Kelvin Beachum.
Ojulari tore his ACL in training camp on Aug. 2, so his absence did not come as a surprise. The same goes for Nichols, who suffered a season-ending neck injury in October.
The 38-year-old Campbell and 35-year-old Beachum were also logical absences. Froholdt, meanwhile, posted on social media from phase two of the offseason program, which featured individual workouts, indicating that his absence may have been an aberration.
Sweat and Tomlinson — both of whom signed with the Cardinals in free agency — were the most surprising players missing on May 28. Sweat inked a four-year, $76.4 million deal while Tomlinson will make $29 million over two years.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon, though, was not bothered by the absences. Each of the Cardinals’ three practices this week and next week are optional. They then have three days of mandatory minicamp from June 10-12 before breaking until training camp begins in late July.
“Because it is voluntary, I ask them, just communicate with me,” Gannon said before practice. “Our guys have done an excellent job communicating with me. So that's good to see.”
Gannon was not available after practice to discuss specific absences — which also included two notable players working on the side of the field, away from team drills.
Jonah Williams, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in December, worked with trainers in a t-shirt and shorts.
First-round pick Walter Nolen also worked with trainers, although he was wearing a jersey and pads. Nolen, along with second-round pick Will Johnson, has not yet signed his rookie contract. Unlike Nolen, Johnson did take part in team drills. The other five draft picks have all signed their contracts.
Offensive coordinator comfortable with Marvin Harrison Jr. usage
In his rookie season, the Cardinals deployed Marvin Harrison Jr. with a heavy dosage of downfield routes.
Of his 116 targets, 30 came on go routes or fades — two routes that essentially ask receivers to run directly downfield. That was the second-highest number in the NFL, behind only Malik Nabers, but Harrison was not particularly effective on those plays. He hauled in just six catches on those 30 targets for 114 yards.
But this offseason, the Cardinals did not add a field-stretching wide receiver — a player who could have, in theory, relieved Harrison of some of that downfield burden.
So on May 28, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was asked whether he still envisions using Harrison on those types of routes.
“Absolutely,” Petzing replied. “I think if you look at his skill set, there's not a lot of things I'm gonna tell you he can't do. So stretch the field, play underneath, play in the slot, move around the formation, play outside, I think that's what makes him so dynamic.”
Darius Robinson ready for Year 2 jump
The first year of Darius Robinson’s NFL career was, in his words, “the hardest year of my life, but then it was the best year of my life in the same year.”
He realized his professional dream by being selected in the first round of the NFL draft. He also suffered personal tragedy, losing his mom, Valori, in October. At the same time, he dealt with a nagging calf injury that delayed his NFL debut by 11 weeks, a process that left him frustrated, stuck on the sidelines and unable to contribute. When he returned, he only sporadically flashed the talent that made him the 27th overall pick.
The arrival of the offseason, then, provided Robinson with a chance to breathe. Freed from the daily grind of the season, he finally had some time to process it all.
“Going back to Michigan, taking care of some family stuff, trying to get closure with everything with my mom,” Robinson said. “But also thinking about this season and just replaying — I only played six games but just constantly rethinking about those six games and thinking about what I need to do to make that next jump in my game.”
As part of that process, he thought back to training camp, when he felt “hot” and ready to contribute. When he returned, he said, “it was just cool.”
Since Robinson returned to Arizona, his focus has been on recreating that “hot” feeling. He added considerable bulk, although he declined to say exactly how much weight he put on. But more than anything, he feels that his six games in the NFL have prepared him to understand what is required to succeed.
“At my lowest, I kept showing up each day, I kept fighting in the pursuit of my dreams,” Robinson said. “And I realize, it can't get worse than that. So honestly, just keep putting one foot in front of another and just go. Just really enjoy this. It's a blessing being here.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Key Cardinals stars absent from first day of OTAs
Continue reading...
