Category: Bye week

Report: 2 Cardinals players test positive for COVID-19 on bye week

The Cardinals will not have to shut down the facility because of the bye week. They return to practice on Monday.

The Arizona Cardinals have been fortunate so far this season in that they have been almost unaffected by the coronavirus in terms of players and availability. That changes now.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, two players have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Cardinals are on their bye for they have not practiced in a few days. They do not need to shut down the facility, but they were scheduled to have a deep cleaning on Sunday so they could return to practice on Monday.

Receiver KeeSean Johnson spent a couple of weeks on the COVID-19 reserve earlier this season.

It is not known yet who the players are but they will be placed on the COVID reserve.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has said on multiple occasions that it was going to happen at some point, but this is as good a time as ever because the players were not at the facility working out or practicing in close proximity, so hopefully these two positive cases are the extent of it.

The Cardinals are scheduled to host the Miami Dolphins next weekend.

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Report: 2 Cardinals players test positive for COVID-19 on bye week

The Cardinals will not have to shut down the facility because of the bye week. They return to practice on Monday.

The Arizona Cardinals have been fortunate so far this season in that they have been almost unaffected by the coronavirus in terms of players and availability. That changes now.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, two players have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Cardinals are on their bye for they have not practiced in a few days. They do not need to shut down the facility, but they were scheduled to have a deep cleaning on Sunday so they could return to practice on Monday.

Receiver KeeSean Johnson spent a couple of weeks on the COVID-19 reserve earlier this season.

It is not known yet who the players are but they will be placed on the COVID reserve.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has said on multiple occasions that it was going to happen at some point, but this is as good a time as ever because the players were not at the facility working out or practicing in close proximity, so hopefully, these two positive cases are the extent of it.

The Cardinals are scheduled to host the Miami Dolphins next weekend.

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Cardinals believe Isaiah Simmons could be good safety, but special linebacker

Simmons’ overtime interception is a preview of the type of player he can be once he learns the position.

Despite the success the Arizona Cardinals have had so far this season, there has been one lingering question people want to know. They want to know why first-round pick Isaiah Simmons isn’t playing.

He made one of the biggest plays of the game in the team’s 37-34 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks, intercepting Russell Wilson to set up Zane Gonzalez’ game-winning field goal.

It was one of only five defensive snaps Simmons played.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said it was a great play. It also illustrated what he and the team hope for him.

“His length and his speed obviously showed there and that’s what he could be,” Joseph told reporters this week. “He could be a serious advantage for us with his size, his length and his speed that close to the ball.”

With Jordan Hicks and De’Vondre Campbell playing well, it has been hard to find Simmons snaps. Of course, when the Cardinals were short on safeties, many wondered why Simmons, who played safety in college, wasn’t asked to fill in.

Joseph doesn’t doubt Simmons can play safety in the NFL. He doesn’t think he would be the type of impact player he will be as a linebacker.

“Obviously as a safety, he would be a good player, but once he understands how to play NFL linebacker, with his skillset, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. And that’s what we want from him.”

Fans are impatient and want to see more of him. He clearly wants to play. But the coaches also want to win games and want to play the best players. If Campbell is better right now, it makes sense that he is on the field.

Simmons’ time will come.

When it does, Joseph has no doubt how it will be. “It’s going to be special.”

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Newly acquired LB Markus Golden ‘a great gift’ for Cardinals defense

“As an outside backer with his relentless personality, he is going to make plays for us,” said Cardinals DC Vance Joseph.

The Arizona Cardinals, who must deal with the loss of injured All-Pro pass rusher Chandler Jones for the rest of the season, addressed the position by trading for Markus Golden. They acquired Golden from the New York Giants for a sixth-round pick. Golden, of course, is a familiar face because he was drafted by the Cardinals and played four seasons before signing with the Giants in free agency in 2019.

He had 10 sacks with the Giants in 2019 but, with a new coaching staff and defensive system, he has not played much in 2020.

Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is happy to have him.

“He fits perfectly into our plan,” Joseph told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s a classic outside backer. He loves to be in the two-point stance. He loves to get one-on-one in pass rushes and he is a guy that plays hard.”

So far this season, he only has 1.5 sacks. He played in only 36% of the Giants’ defensive snaps.

While it is not known yet exactly what role he will have the rest of the season, Joseph anticipates Golden will be productive.

“As an outside backer with his relentless personality, he is going to make plays for us,” he said. “Watching him over the years as an outside rusher, he just overwhelms tackles just with effort and that’s what it takes in this league because most pass rushers and most sacks aren’t cute rushes. It’s dirty, it’s grimy and it’s tough, and that’s the kind of player he is. That’s a great gift for our defense for the moment.”

With the loss of Jones, the Cardinals will now have a rotation of Devon Kennard, Haason Reddick and Golden, with perhaps some of Kyle Fitts and Dennis Gardeck mixed in as well.

They have this weekend off but will host the Miami Dolphins next weekend and face rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who will be making only his second NFL start.

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CB De’Vante Bausby signs with Cardinals to 53-man roster

He was released by the Broncos last week.

Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph made reference to possibly adding another cornerback to the team when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday. That cornerback has been signed as it had been rumored.

The team announced Friday morning the signings of cornerback De’Vante Bausby, who was released recently by the Denver Broncos. He had already visited with the team.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, he had five tackles and three Bausby (6-2, 190) had five tackles and three pass breakups in four games for the Broncos after starting the season on their practice squad. He has spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears in addition to the Broncos. In his career, Bausby has played in 19 games, starting three, and has 44 total tackles and six pass breakups after entering the league in 2015 with the Chiefs as an undrafted rookie out of Pittsburg State.

Bausby has the length, speed and athleticism general manager Steve Keim covets. When he came out of college, he ran a 4.35-second 40, had a 37.5-inch vertical leap and 11-0 broad jump at his pro day.

He should be able to immediately contribute on special teams and the team likely would like to see if he has any future upside on defense.

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Kyler Murray: ‘For me, there is no bye week’

“Last year we kind of treated it like there was a bye week, this year the head stays down.”

The Arizona Cardinals are on their bye this week, getting a break before they start the second half of their season. They played poorly last year in their first game after their bye. That has led to head coach Kliff Kingsbury making it a point to emphasize that the team’s focus needs to remain the same even with no game this weekend.

Quarterback Kyler Murray is taking it to heart.

“This is Year 2 for me, so understanding what happened last year, what I did last year,” quarterback Kyler Murray said, according to AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban. “For me, there is no bye week. Last year we kind of treated it like there was a bye week, this year the head stays down. There is no bye week for me, so I’m going to keep at it and be ready to come back and lead these guys.”

Players cannot really travel this year because they must continue to have their COVID tests daily. They have still held practice. They just will not have a game.

If Kyler is locked in, his teammates will follow. If that continues, then they should come back in Week 9 locked in and ready to take down the Miami Dolphins.

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Cardinals hope to avoid drop in focus coming out of bye

Kliff Kingsbury has reminded the players of what happened last year after the bye.

The Arizona Cardinals get their bye week at a good time. They are coming off their most thrilling win of the season and have a number of injured players who could use the time off. However, the time off can’t do what happened last year.

In 2019, coming out of the bye, they were embarrassed by the Los Angeles Rams and looked as bad as they had all season.

Last year, head coach Kliff Kingsbury gave them a light week of practice and even an extra day off. After the loss and poor performance a year ago, Kingsbury joked he would do the exact opposite of what he did since it was a disaster.

Things have changed this year as players can’t really travel. They still must test daily for COVID-19 so they still will be coming into the facility.

Kingsbury believes the problem last year was focus and he addressed it with the team. He didn’t have any drastic different plans.

“I think just addressing it and understanding last year coming off the bye was the one game since I’ve been here that I felt we were just non-competitive,” he told reporters this week. “I thought we had a bad week of practice. It rolled right into Thanksgiving. It was kind of a combination of things, and we were awful against the Rams. They kind of embarrassed us, so just addressing it, and making sure guys understand we’ve got to stay more locked in this year. We have to individually take it upon ourselves to keep the focus and stay dialed in and stay on this energy that we’re on right now.”

Ever since their loss to the Carolina Panthers, the team has remained focused. And after their win over the Seahawks, they have the belief they can beat anyone.

Assuming they maintain that focus and play the way they have, they could and should be looking at a 7-2 record when they travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks on Thursday night in Week 11.

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Texans’ J.J. Watt among proposed trade targets for Cardinals before deadline

USA TODAY’s Nate Davis tells us who the Cardinals should target before next week’s deadline.

The NFL trade deadline is next week and some deals have already gone down. The Arizona Cardinals acquired pass rusher Markus Golden. The Seattle Seahawks acquired defensive end Carlos Dunlap.

Should the Cardinals do more? They already have traded away their 2021 fourth and sixth-round picks.

USA TODAY’s Nate Davis wrote about the players all 32 NFL teams should target. For the Cardinals, he suggests one of the league’s most recognizable stars — Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt. He also believes the Cardinals would be wise to potentially trade for a running back since Kenyan Drake will be out a few weeks.

If it turns out J.J. Watt is in play, they’ve also got room to incorporate him into their salary structure – and imagine him paired with OLB Chandler Jones next year. (Though after losing WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houstonians probably couldn’t stomach any more dealings with Arizona.) But if the Cards do anything, they might be wiser to look for blocking help or – depending on the severity of RB Kenyan Drake’s injury – tailback depth, i.e. Todd Gurley or perhaps Duke Johnson.

If the Cardinals managed to acquire Watt for a second-round pick like in the deal to acquire Hopkins, Cardinals fans would likely be thrilled. Watt is not the player he once was, but he is still an upgrade over pretty much everyone else the Cardinals have on the defensive line.

As for a running back, it seems unnecessary when they feel Chase Edmonds is a starting running back. Last year’s acquisition of Drake was necessitated by the injury to both David Johnson and Chase Edmonds. They are not in the same situation.

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4 potential trade deadline moves for the Cardinals

With the trade deadline approaching, the Cardinals could be in the mix for some high-profile players.

The NFL trade deadline is upon us — a time where struggling teams ship off pricy veterans and contending teams look to find that missing piece for a championship run.

The Arizona Cardinals have already made a trade, acquiring OLB Markus Golden from the New York Giants. Golden’s return to the valley has been welcomed with open arms by the fanbase. His presence should bolster a Cardinal defense that is already seventh in the NFL in sacks.

The Cardinals, however, may not be done acquiring talent. Our own Chuck Harris reported the Cardinals may be looking into a big name trade prior to the deadline.

I don’t have the Cardinals giving up their first-round pick in any of these trades given their circumstances of each player, as well as their evident need for cheap talent next year.

So, what players make sense for the Cardinals to bolster their playoff hopes?


Cardinals bring back DL Josh Mauro, signing him off Jaguars practice squad

Mauro is the second defender the Cardinals have added who are on their second stint with the team.

The Arizona Cardinals have brought back a familiar face to replace Zach Allen on the 53-man roster. The team announced Wednesday it signed defensive lineman Josh Mauro from the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mauro, of course, played for the Cardinals from 2014-2017.

Allen, who suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Sunday night’s game, was placed on injured reserve, giving the Cardinals only four defensive linemen on the active roster.

Mauro, now 29 years old, had not played yet this season. He was suspended five games for violation to the league’s policy on PEDs and also was on the COVID-19 reserve, too. Mauro also was suspended four games in 2018 under the league’s PED policy.

In Mauro’s career, he has appeared in 72 games, starting 37. He has 122 career total tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

He is a high-effort player who is good for 25-35% of a team’s defensive snaps. When he was with the Cardinals, he flashed more on the field than he showed up in the stats. He was solid against the run in his time with the Cardinals.

He is the second defender in the last week the Cardinals have acquired who had a previous stint in Arizona. They acquired linebacker Markus Golden, who played with the Cardinals from 2015-2018, from the New York Giants in a trade last week.

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