Category: Cardinals training camp

Pro Football Hall of Fame legacy present at Cardinals-Colts joint practice

Marvin Harrison Sr. and Edgerrin James were in attendance at the Cardinals’ joint practice with the Colts.

It was a reunion of sorts for a few Indianapolis Colts greats at the team’s joint practices against the Arizona Cardinals this week.

With rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. on the Cardinals, his father Marvin Sr. attended, along with running back Edgerrin James, who also played for the Cardinals.

On the Colts staff is receivers coach Reggie Wayne, who played in Indianapolis and was a teammate with James at the University of Miami.

Marvin Sr. and James are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Wayne has been a finalist for the last five years.

At one point near the end of Wednesday’s practice, Marvin Sr. threw autographed mini-footballs into the stands.

A very young Marvin Jr. was around his dad a lot during his playing career and Marvin Sr. (6-0, 191) said, “A lot of people are surprised how big (6-3, 209) he got.”

James was elusive in his praise for Marvin Jr.

He said, “Man, it’s crazy. They took Marv Jr. with the fourth pick and I was the fourth pick (in 1999). We used to be on the plane together. You look at this little kid that’s quiet, but he had the chance to just watch how it’s supposed to be done.

“Everything you hear that he’s been doing is exactly like it’s supposed to be done. Quiet, but just works and always is looking for more work. That’s the thing you appreciate. When you get somebody like that, you only know one way, one speed and you go out and do what you’re supposed to do. That’s pretty cool.”

Meanwhile, James made sure to tell reporters about his son Jizzle, who will be a 6-1, 195-pound sophomore for the University of Cincinnati basketball team next season. The point guard averaged 8.8 points and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman, but in the final five games averaged 16 points per game, hitting 48.6 percent of his shots.

Dad said to expect this to be his son’s final season in college.

“Jizzle’s going to go first round this year,” Edgerrin claimed. “He’s going to have a great year and he’s going to go in the draft. Then it’ll be like, ‘Whew, all that work (was worth it).’”

But, what about that nickname for a young man whose given name is Edgerrin James Jr.?

“Jizzle is like my on-court persona,” he told wcpo.com last February.

Edgerrin said, “Oh Jizzle?! I was creating a monster with that name right there. We had to create something special. We had my same name. I always tell him that’s his alter ego; when he turns into Jizzle he turns into a whole other person.”

His son said, “Being Jizzle is just being like on the court just playing hard expressing myself. I got the same name as my dad so he tried to; he gave me a name who I could be myself. So I use that and just use it just to play with an extra edge on the court.

“I always had that (toughness from playing youth football). Like, not scared of contacting me and I used it to my advantage. So like it helped me out, help me out big time on the court.”

Concluded Edgerrin, “I’ve always wanted to be a basketball player, so I’m like reliving it through him. Just get to see him courtside is crazy. It’s all a blessing.”

Who knows? Perhaps Jizzle will be with the Phoenix Suns one day.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

You’ll be surprised which Cardinals player HC Jonathan Gannon wishes he had more of

Gannon: “If you had 90 Roys, you’d be good to go.”

There weren’t many headlines when defensive lineman Roy Lopez was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad last season on Sept. 23, one day before a Week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Well, maybe there were in Gilbert, Ariz., where he played at Mesquite High School or at Desert Ridge High in Mesa (also part of the Gilbert school district) where his father, Roy, is the head football coach.

Lopez had played two seasons for the Houston Texans after being a sixth-round pick in 2021 from the University of Arizona. However, a hamstring injury suffered in the team’s second preseason game resulted in him being waived/injured in the cutdown to 53 players Aug. 29. After reverting to injured reserve the next day, Lopez was waived with an injury settlement on Sept. 4.

Fast forward to nearly three weeks later when the Cardinals were searching for linemen after L.J. Collier and Carlos Watkins were lost for the season because of injuries suffered in the first and second games, respectively.

After the win over the Cowboys, Lopez was signed to the active roster and ended up playing in 14 games with five starts. He finished the season with 42 tackles (22 solo) with two for loss and while that was fourth among the team’s defensive linemen, the three ahead of him weren’t very far away: Dante Stills (47/18), Kevin Strong (46/25) and Jonathan Ledbetter (46/21).

To some, Lopez might have seemed an afterthought after the Cardinals added Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols and Khyiris Tonga in free agency and selected Darius Robinson in the first round of the draft, but Lopez simply went about his job in the offseason and is currently listed as the starting nose tackle on the preseason depth chart.

Talking to the media last week, defensive coordinator Nick Rallis uttered a “um, um” as soon as he realized a reporter was asking about Lopez. When the question was done, Rallis said, “I challenged Roy to become a leader on the defense and I think he’s doing a great job with that. He does a phenomenal job for us in the run game. You want to talk about anchoring a double team; he’s hard to move in there. And then when he gets his shot to get one-on-ones, he’ll get (someone) knocked back and he does a good job of pushing the pocket on pass downs. So really pleased with where he’s at.”

When asked what he wants to see in the pass rush from the interior line, Rallis said, “Push the pocket. Get that quarterback a little nervous about an offensive lineman in his lap and then they gotta be able to cover for the outside guys at times. Whether it’s three men rushing, four men rushing, five men rushing, whatever, we call it fast-break basketball.

“They gotta be aware of what’s going on whether they’re calling games, or games on the move. They gotta be able to push the pocket when they got two guys on ‘em. When there’s one guy on ‘em, they need to be able to win on an edge at times and affect the quarterback. They’re doing a good job with it.”

Against the Saints, Lopez was disruptive in only 16 snaps (23 percent) and was credited with three tackles (one solo).

Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday, “He knows his role and he executes his role and he’s a big-time part of when we play good defense, he’s right in the middle, so you need that guy to play well.”

Asked the biggest improvement Lopez has made, Gannon said, “Pass rush. He’s always been a really good run defender. He’s doing some good things in the pass game on mixed downs too where it’s harder because a lot of times they’re playing run-first, then transitioning to pass. In the run-game, too, there’s been some technique things he’s been really good at.”

That includes sometimes going a bit off-script as Gannon noted he and Rallis had discussed that morning.

Gannon said, “There’s some blocks that we teach things he might not do exactly how they’re taught, but there’s a reason why behind it. He can execute what he does to get the job done for the defense. I like where he’s at.

“If you had 90 Roys, you’d be good to go. We got a lot of good guys. But Roy, he keeps a good attitude, he’s always working on his game. He’s team-first. He’s willing to do whatever you tell him to do. He’s got a smile on his face. He’s a phenomenal human being and he enjoys coming to work and he gets better at his game. So, yeah, I’d love a bunch of Roys.”

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

What to watch, who will and will not play for Cardinals in preseason opener vs. Saints

Howard Balzer has an audio update about the Cardinals, training camp and their preseason opener on Saturday.

The Arizona Cardinals take on the New Orleans Saints Saturday night at State Farm Stadium. They have finished training camp.

Our own Howard has one final training camp update for the podcast.

He reminisces about how the preseason was in the past and how he once got in trouble for calling them exhibition games. And who knew that the NFL used to have six preseason games?

In this show, he tells us what Cardinals players to watch in the game and he tells us who we should expect not to play.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

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Marquis Haynes already released by Cardinals

The Cardinals signed Haynes on Monday. He didn’t last the week.

The Arizona Cardinals have already seen enough of veteran edge defender Marquis Haynes. After signing him earlier in the week to replace BJ Ojulari on the offseason roster, the team announced he was released.

The move opens a roster spot. Perhaps they will sign either Carl Lawson or Justin Hollins, both of whom they brought in for tryouts this week.

Haynes was not seen in the Cardinals’ final practice of training camp on Thursday.

According to Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer, he was signed with an injury waiver. He was released with an injury but did the injury waiver in his contract kept him from having go through injured reserve or an injury settlement.

Don’t expect the Cardinals to announced a roster move to replace Haynes before Monday.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

 

Observations, takeaways from Cardinals’ final practice of training camp

The Cardinals are done with training camp at State Farm Stadium. Here is what Howard Balzer took away from the final day.

The Arizona Cardinals put a wrap on this portion of training camp Thursday with a practice in pads prior to Saturday’s preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints.

Camp Part 2 will convene in Indianapolis next week with practices on Wednesday and Thursday against the Colts before the two teams play on Saturday, Aug. 17.

After that, it’s back to the team’s practice facility in Tempe to prepare for the final preseason game on Sunday, Aug. 25 in Denver against the Broncos. Two days later is the roster reduction to 53, followed by the naming of a 17-player practice squad, assuming tight end Bernhard Seikovits will be part of that and thus have an exemption.

Harrison’s debut

Gannon said wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will play Saturday, but did not reveal how much. Harrison said last week, “Hopefully I get to play. I definitely want to play.”

Gannon said decisions were to be made Thursday evening regarding what players won’t play Saturday aside from quarterback Kyler Murray.

In the first preseason game last year, notables not playing included safety Budda Baker, running back James Conner, linebacker Kyzir White, tackle D.J. Humphries and tight end Trey McBride. Murray was on the physically unable to perform list.

The starting offensive line other than Humphries, of Paris Johnson Jr., Will Hernandez, Hjalte Froholdt and Elijah Wilkinson, played only 15 snaps (19 percent). Defensive starters Dennis Gardeck, Zaven Collins and Jalen Thompson played seven (11 percent).

Injury Update

Rookie cornerback Max Melton was back at practice but did not do a lot in team drills. Running back Emari Demercado, who appeared to suffer a shoulder injury in practice Wednesday, was not present, but Gannon said it’s “not serious.” Cornerback Garrett Williams, who told Cards Wire he was fine Wednesday, was on the sideline but not dressed.

Still absent was defensive lineman Justin Jones.

Dusting off the new kickoff

Regarding the new kickoff rule, Gannon said, “I’m excited about it. Opening kickoff will be a little bit different this time.”

Noting the work put in by special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers throughout the offseason and camp, Gannon said, “We’ve done a really good job with it; how Jeff has structured some things. I like where we’re at with it right now, but we will have to make adaptations to that I’m sure.”

Kicker Matt Prater will be playing on his 40th birthday.

Watching his fiancé

Wide receiver Michael Wilson thought he’d have a totally clear path to watching his fiancé, Sophia Smith, play Brazil for the Olympic gold medal in soccer on Saturday, a game that begins at 8 am Arizona time.

Kickoff for the Cardinals-Saints is at 5 p.m. Arizona time at State Farm Stadium. However, when asked about that plan Thursday, Wilson chuckled and said, “I know we have walkthrough at 9, so I’ll probably see if I can have my phone on during the walkthrough.”

Ready for a luau?

The media celebrated the end of camp in Glendale by adorning Hawaiian shirts.

When head coach Jonathan Gannon entered the media room for his press conference, he took note and joked, “I’m a large, get me one,” and then said, “I don’t know if could rock that.”

Noting that ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss and Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic dressed regularly, Gannon joked, “What, you guys didn’t get the memo? So, you’re not a team player? That shows a lot about you. … Obviously, they’re not, kick ‘em off.”

For the record, the top row, left to right is Jose Romero, Arizona Republic; Bob McManaman, Arizona Republic; Tyler Drake, ArizonaSports.com; Donnie Druin, si.com; Zach Gershman, azcardinals.com; Bo Brack, gophnx.com; Megan Plain, Fox10 Sports. Bottom row, left to right: Dave Brandt, Associated Press; Brad Gass, Fox10 Sports; some guy named Howard Balzer, Cards Wire.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals give OLB Zaven Collins 2-year contract extension

Collins, a former first-round pick, is now under contract with the Cardinals through 2026.

The Arizona Cardinals have added some stability to their outside linebacker room. In the final year of his rookie contract, the Cardinals are giving former first-round pick Zaven Collins a two-year contract extension, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The deal was made official as the team announced Collins signed his contract at State Farm Stadium on Saturday.

The deal is two years for $14 million and includes $11.25 million guaranteed at signing. He is now under contract through the 2026 season.

This comes in the wake of the Cardinals losing second-year outside linebacker BJ Ojulari for the season with a torn ACL he suffered in practice on Friday.

Collins was drafted 16th overall in the 2021 draft and played inside linebacker off the ball for his first two seasons. He was moved to the edge at outside linebacker last season.

He started all 17 games last season and logged 41 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, an interception, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups.

He was due to make $2.67 million in fully guaranteed salary in 2024 and was scheduled to have a $4.67 million salary cap hit. With the new deal, we will see how much these numbers change, as he likely is getting a decent amount of that money up front at signing and his 2024 salary might be reduced as a result.

If the $14 million reported number is accurate, it means there is $11.337 million new money, according to Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer.

Collins was expected to again be a starter at outside linebacker.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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5 moves the Cardinals can make to replace OLB BJ Ojulari after his torn ACL

BJ Ojulari tore his ACL Friday and is out for the season. Here are some options for the Cardinals to make a move to replace him this season.

The Arizona Cardinals suffered a huge blow to their defense on Friday when second-year outside linebacker BJ Ojulari tore the ACL in his left knee in practice. He will not be able to play in 2024.

He was expected to be their best pass rusher off the edge and was one of the team’s standouts in training camp and offseason program.

His injury leaves a big hole.

The Cardinals have a vacancy on their roster they have never filled, so it would appear like the time to make a move.

Here are some options they have outside the organization.

Trade for Matt Judon

Judon, now with the New England Patriots, is currently holding out of training camp, as he seeks a contract extension. Turning 32 years old this month, he enters the final year of his contract, due to make $6.5 million in salary and up to $1 million in per-game roster bonuses.

He had four sacks in only four games last season before he tore his biceps and missed the rest of the season. He had 12.5 and 15.5 sacks in each of the two previous seasons.

A trade would mean also giving him a new contract, but he would immediately give the Cardinals a proven pass rusher.

Sign Yannick Ngakoue

Ngakoue remains unsigned and will not turn 30 years old until after the season. He had only four sacks last season for the Chicago Bears but had 19.5 over the previous two seasons with the Colts and Raiders.

Sign Carl Lawson (before the Cowboys do)

Lawson worked out with Dallas recently, who also lost a pass rusher for the season (Sam Williams tore his ACL). Lawson is 29 years old but did not have a sack in six games with the Jets last season. He had seven sacks in 2022.

Sign Tyus Bowser

Bowser is 29 years old and remains unsigned. He was cut this offseason by the Baltimore Ravens after six seasons with the team. He only had two sacks in nine games and his career-high is seven, set in 2022.

Sign Justin Houston

Houston is now 35 years old and had only half a sack in 2023 in seven games with the Carolina Panther, but he had 9.5 in 2022 with the Ravens.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals lose LB BJ Ojulari for season with torn ACL

The first major injury for the Cardinals is a torn ACL to their expected best pass rusher. BJ Ojulari’s season is over before it even begins.

The Arizona Cardinals have now suffered a serious injury to a key player in training camp. second-year outside linebacker BJ Ojulari, who left practice on Friday with an injury, will not play in 2024.

According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Ojulari has torn the ACL in his left knee. That will end his season even before it begins.

Ojulari was expected to be the Cardinals’ best pass rusher off the edge. He was one of the team’s standouts in camp and offseason work.

He was a second-round pick last year out of LSU and was productive in the second half of the season. He finished the season with four sacks, 40 total tackles, five tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. All but six combined tackles came starting in Week 8.

The injury opens the door for another linebacker to earn a spot in the starting lineup. Ojulari was projected to start with Zaven Collins. Now Dennis Gardeck, Cameron Thomas, Victor Dimukeje, Tyreke Smith or rookie Xavier Thomas have the opportunity to increase their role.

The Cardinals can also look outside the organization for help at the position.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Cardinals training camp updates and Hall of Fame festivity info

Howard Balzer was on FOX Sports 910 AM to talk Cardinals and the Hall of Fame.

Our Howard Balzer made his usual Thursday appearance on Fox Sports 910 AM with Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B. Here’s what they talked about:
  • Cardinals were back at practice after Wednesday’s off day and safety Budda Baker didn’t practice. Any concern about that?
  • The class is a great one for the Hall of Fame and Howard was asked what player he’s most excited to see enshrined. He mentioned Dwight Freeney, who made significant contributions in the one season he played with the Cardinals in 2015. He also had some news on how the the Hall is handling the Steve McMichael induction. The former Bears defensive tackle has been battling ALS for several years.
  • With that, Howard was asked about that great Bears defense and how much it’s being talked about. He noted that in shows taped for SiriusXM NFL Radio, he interviewed Mike Singletary and Jimbo Covert, who talked about McMIchael’s impact on the team and how the Hall is handling his Saturday enshrinement. It starts at 9 am Arizona time and three hours earlier, Howard will be co-hosting with Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks and journalist Vic Carucci for three hours with numerous interviews, including a rollicking one with Warren Sapp, who was Brooks’ teammate with the Buccaneers.
  • Talk turned to the game that was to be played Thursday night between the Bears and Texans, and Howard was asked if anyone cares. He noted that many of the players competing for jobs do.
  • Asked about how coaches treat these games trying to keep players healthy but getting ready for the season opener, he said it’s a difficult balance, but it’s the same for every team. Howard pointed out there are around 22 practices between teams scheduled this summer, including the Cardinals and Colts before they play Aug. 17. Once the season increases to 18 games and there are only two preseason games, there will probably be more. That’s a good time for starters to get work in a controlled a environment against another team.
  • Talk about the new kickoff rule and what we will see in the preseason. A lot of kicks will be returned, but coaches won’t give away some of the twists they might be planning.
  • Howard was asked if being at the Hall of Fame is like Disneyland and he readily agreed. He’s been doing shows for SiriusXM for 17 or 18 years in Canton and Howard said he has to pinch himself interviewing Hall of Famers and not take it for granted, adding, “it’s like being a kid in the candy story.” He then said Cardinals fans should begin getting ready for 2026 when Larry Fitzgerald will be eligible for the first time and likely voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals LB BJ Ojulari goes down in practice with leg injury on Friday

The Cardinals might need to look at some pass rushers outside the organization if Ojulari’s injury ends up beinig serious.

The Arizona Cardinals might be looking at their first serious injury of training camp, and it could impact their pass rush severely. Second-year linebacker BJ Ojulari went down during practice on Friday, according to many who were in attendance, when he injured what looked like his left leg.

He was assisted in walking to the locker room by two trainers.

Ojulari was having a very nice camp and was one of the Cardinals’ offseason standouts.

They were counting on him, as a second-round pick last year who show pass-rushing juice late last season, to be their best edge defender.

It was perhaps a positive thing that he did not have to be carted off the field, but with a seemingly thin outside linebacker group in terms of pass rush, it might be time for the team to look outside the organization for help.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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