Cardinals’ practice squad elevations for Week 5 make it look like a starter is out

Check out the two players the Cardinals elevated to the active roster for their game against the 49ers and what the moves mean.

The Arizona Cardinals announced a pair of roster moves Saturday and it appears that one starter who was questionable to play will in fact play while the other could be out.

They announced Saturday afternoon that kicker Chad Ryland and tackle Charlie Heck were elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.

Kicker Matt Prater is officially questionable for the game with a left knee injury. The elevation means Prater either won’t be able to play or the decision will come Sunday morning. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and was limited on Friday.

There is a scenario in which both Ryland and Prater are active, with Ryland handling only kickoffs. That, though, is a less likely scenario.

Ryland, a fourth-round pick of New England in 2023, made 16-of-25 field goal attempts and 24-of-25 PATs as a rookie last season. He went 5-for-7 from 30 to 39 yards with both misses from 35. He was 5-for-10 from 40 to 49 yards with misses from 41, 47 (twice) and 48 (twice). He was 2-for-4 from 50-plus yards, missing from 52 and 57 yards.

With the elevation of Heck, it appears that starter Kelvin Beachum, questionable with a hamstring injury, will be good to go. Heck will be the backup swing tackle as the Cardinals have no other backup tackles active.

Rookie tackle Christian Jones, who returned to practice this week and is eligible to be activated from injured reserve, was not activated.

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