Category: NFL roster cuts

Cardinals roster cuts breakdown, surprises, reactions and needs

Jess Root and Seth Cox break down and react to all the Cardinals’ roster moves to get to 53 players.

The Arizona Cardinals made the moves they needed to make to get the roster down to 53 players. They cut many, placed others on injured reserve and even made a player trade. Many moves were expected. Some were surprising.

In a new episode of the podcast, Seth Cox and I go through every position on the roster, discuss who was cut, who stayed, what moves were perhaps surprising and why, and they discuss potential additions and whether players will likely return to the practice squad.

It is a great episode. Have a listen!

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!

Times and topics:

(1:00) Quarterbacks and running backs

(22:34) Wide receivers and tight ends

(28:20) Offensive linemen, defensive linemen and outside linebackers

(47:51) Inside linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties, specialists

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Cardinals roster cuts, deadlines, explanations and reactions

Have a listen to Howard Balzer’s latest audio update about the Cardinals after final cuts.

The Arizona Cardinals cut their rosters to get to 53 players on Tuesday. As such, Howard Balzer has a new audio update for the podcast. In this update, he discusses the dizzying days leading up to cutdown day and goes over how the Cardinals had to make adjustments on the fly with news of rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson’s calf injury and the five-game suspension of receiver Zay Jones.

He comments on the trade of linebacker Cameron Thomas. He also gives some information about the timeline of moves, practice squads and the salary cap.

He reacts to what the Cardinals did with the roster and more.

You get some solid insight from a longtime NFL reporter.

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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The biggest surprises from Cardinals’ roster cuts

The Cardinals made their cuts to get to 53 players. These are the biggest surprises about the cuts.

The Arizona Cardinals have trimmed their roster to the requisite 53 players after the NFL’s cutdown deadline Tuesday afternoon. The Cardinals announced their cuts and other roster moves.

Many cuts were completely expected. Others were more surprising.

These are the biggest surprises about how the 53-man roster was left.

QB Desmond Ridder

Ridder was not a surprise cut to Cardinals fans, based on his play in training camp and the preseason. However, for those observing from the outside, it is a surprise. The Cardinals traded for him in the offseason to bring experience to the quarterback room behind Kyler Murray. After all, he had a very respectable 8-9 record as a starter over two seasons and was competing with Clayton Tune, whose only NFL start was one of the worst in NFL history (58 total passing yards, no points, two interceptions, a fumble and seven sacks). Tune, though, clearly outplayed him. Cardinals fans aren’t surprised, but it is still surprising considering the circumstances.

RB Michael Carter

In terms of the numbers, cutting Carter made sense. He was the fifth back of the room and he was due more than $3 million in salary. It doesn’t make sense to pay your fifth back that much.

But he was fantastic in the preseason.

OL Elijah Wilkinson

Wilkinson’s play doesn’t make his cut surprising, but his contract does. His 2024 salary is fully guaranteed, and his guard/tackle positional flexibility made him an intriguing guy as depth.

As a vested veteran, he will not be subject to waivers. He likely will land with the practice squad, as he will be paid his full salary anyway. His release might be a sort of roster manipulation as well because, assuming he doesn’t want to go elsewhere, he is never subject to waivers.

LB Krys Barnes

Barnes appeared to be set to be part of the defensive rotation, as starter Mack Wilson is expected to play some outside linebacker in addition to inside. His release also only leaves three inside backers on the roster between Kyzir White, Wilson and second-year pro Owen Pappoe.

With only three on the roster, something else has to be coming.

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.

 

The NFL waiver wire order after roster cuts

The Cardinals are fourth in waiver priority. They were awarded six players after final cuts last year.

The next stage of building NFL rosters after Tuesday’s cutdown deadline to get to 53 players is the waiver wire. Between Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET cuts and Wednesday at noon ET, players can place waiver claims for non-vested veterans who were cut.

Teams are awarded the players they claim provided a team with a higher priority in the waiver order does not also claim him.

The waiver claim order is based on the 2024 NFL draft order, which means the Arizona Cardinals are on the list. They are fourth in waiver priority.

Only the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots have higher priority.

What is the full waiver wire order?

It is below:

  1. Carolina Panthers
  2. Washington Commanders
  3. New England Patriots
  4. Arizona Cardinals
  5. Los Angeles Chargers
  6. New York Giants
  7. Tennessee Titans
  8. Atlanta Falcons
  9. Chicago Bears
  10. New York Jets
  11. Minnesota Vikings
  12. Denver Broncos
  13. Las Vegas Raiders
  14. New Orleans Saints
  15. Indianapolis Colts
  16. Seattle Seahawks
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars
  18. Cincinnati Bengals
  19. Los Angeles Rams
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers
  21. Miami Dolphins
  22. Philadelphia Eagles
  23. Cleveland Browns
  24. Dallas Cowboys
  25. Green Bay Packers
  26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  27. Houston Texans
  28. Buffalo Bills
  29. Detroit Lions
  30. Baltimore Ravens
  31. San Francisco 49ers
  32. Kansas City Chiefs

This will be the order up through the first month of the season, after which it will be based on current 2024 regular-season record.

The Cardinals were awarded six players via waiver claims immediately after final cuts — OL Carter O’Donnell, OL Keith Ismael, OL Tystan Colon, OL Ilm Manning, CB Starling Thomas V, TE Elijah Higgins.

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.

 

Cardinals have high priority in waiver order so 53-man roster far from set

The Cardinals’ 53-man roster is far from set. Arizona is fourth in waiver priority.

The Arizona Cardinals and the rest of the NFL cut their active rosters down to 53 players on Tuesday. Many refer to this as “final cuts.” However, players currently on the roster can’t get too comfortable.

The next phase of roster building is the waiver wire. Players who are not yet vested veterans are subject to waivers, and teams can place a claim on players they want.

Teams are given priority based on their final record last season and that order will remain in force through the first month of the season.

The Cardinals are fourth in waiver priority, which means they will be awarded any player they claim, as long as the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders or New England Patriots do not place a claim.

Last year, they were awarded six players off waiver claims — OL Carter O’Donnell, OL Trystan Colon, OL Keith Ismael, OL Ilm Manning, TE Elijah Higgins and CB Starling Thomas.

With every addition, there is a corresponding move removing a player from the roster.

We will see Wednesday morning after 9 a.m. Arizona time how many player the Cardinals get from waivers.

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.

 

Cardinals retain 10 of 12 draft picks on cutdown day

Eight draft picks make the roster and another start the season on IR but are designated to return.

The Arizona Cardinals had a large draft class in 2024, the largest in the NFL. They selected 12 players. Naturally, it is hard for a team to have that many rookies make the team.

But with their moves to get the roster down to 53 players, they have kept 10 of their 12 player selections.

Eight players made the active roster:

  • WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Round 1)
  • CB Max Melton (Round 2)
  • RB Trey Benson (Round 3)
  • OL Isaiah Adams (Round 3)
  • TE Tip Reiman (Round 3)
  • CB Elijah Jones (Round 3)
  • S Rabbit Taylor-Demerson (Round 4)
  • OLB Xavier Thomas (Round 5)

Undrafted rookie receiver Xavier Weaver also made the active roster.

Two others landed on injured reserve, but both were designated to return and will at some point be activated this season after missing at least the first four games of the season.

  • DL Darius Robinson (Round 1)
  • OL Christian Jones (Round 5)

The two draft picks they waived were receiver Tejhaun Palmer, a sixth-round pick, and cornerback Jaden Davis, a seventh-round pick.

If they clear waivers, they can be signed to the practice squad.

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.

 

Positional breakdown as Cardinals set their roster at 53 players

See which 53 players made the final roster at the cutdown deadline for the Cardinals.

The dust has cleared as the Arizona Cardinals reduced their roster to 53 players Tuesday with 25 players on offense and defense plus three specialists.

What jumps out, at least for now, is that there are only eight linebackers on the roster, five on the edge and three inside players. The position breakdown for the practice squad will be intriguing as those spots begin to fill after 9 a.m. Arizona time on Wednesday.

Here’s the breakdown by position with expected starters in bold and rookies with an asterisk.

Eight of the team’s 12 draft choices this year plus one undrafted free agent (Xavier Weaver) are on the current roster plus draft picks defensive lineman Darius Robinson and tackle Christian Jones are on injured reserve/designated to return.

Seventeen of the 53, including Robinson and Jones, were selected in the last two drafts to go with undrafted free agents Weaver and Emari Demercado from 2023.

Quarterbacks (2)

  • Kyler Murray
  • Clayton Tune

Are the Cardinals happy where they are behind Murray? We’ll find out soon enough.

Running backs (4)

  • James Conner
  • *Trey Benson
  • Emari Demercado
  • DeeJay Dallas (also return specialist)

How much will Benson spell Conner in games and will there be a job-share with Conner and Demercado on third down?

Wide receivers (6)

  • *Marvin Harrison Jr.
  • Michael Wilson
  • Greg Dortch
  • Chris Moore
  • Zach Pascal
  • Xavier Weaver (also return specialist)

Moore will have the Zay Jones role until he returns, and we’ll see how many offensive snaps Weaver will get.

Tight ends (4)

  • Trey McBride
  • Elijah Higgins
  • *Tip Reiman
  • Travis Vokolek

Reiman will be on the field frequently in running situations.

Offensive linemen (9)

  • LT Paris Johnson Jr.
  • LG Evan Brown
  • C Hjalte Froholdt
  • RG Will Hernandez
  • RT Jonah Williams
  • T Kelvin Beachum
  • C/G Trystan Colon
  • C/G Jon Gaines II
  • *G Isaiah Adams

Defensive linemen (6)

  • Justin Jones
  • Bilal Nichols
  • Roy Lopez
  • L.J. Collier
  • Dante Stills
  • Khyiris Tonga

There will be a heavy rotation, as is usually the case, with the five likely to be active on game day.

Outside linebacker (5)

  • Zaven Collins
  • Dennis Gardeck
  • *Xavier Thomas
  • Victor Dimukeje
  • Jesse Luketa

Seeing how quickly Thomas will produce against first-line offenses will be fascinating to see.

Inside linebackers (3)

  • Kyzir White
  • Mack Wilson Sr.
  • Owen Pappoe

Expect to see Wilson utilized at times as a pass rusher.

Cornerbacks (6)

  • Sean Murphy-Bunting
  • Starling Thomas V
  • Garrett Williams
  • *Max Melton
  • Kei’Trel Clark
  • *Elijah Jones

Williams will play significant snaps in nickel, but it’s also possible he will be the outside corner when only two are on the field.

Safeties (5)

  • Budda Baker
  • Jalen Thompson
  • *Dadrion (Rabbit) Taylor-Demerson
  • Darren Hall
  • Joey Blount

Hall is a hybrid safety/cornerback, while Taylor-Demerson showed himself to be a playmaker. Realistically, how often will they play with one of the best safety tandems in the league ahead of them?

Specialists (3)

  • K Matt Prater
  • P Blake Gillikin
  • LS Aaron Brewer

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.

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2024 Cardinals roster cuts tracker, transactions

Tracking all the Cardinals moves surrounding final roster cutdowns.

The Arizona Cardinals and the rest of the NFL have until Tuesday to get their roster down to 53 players. Between cuts, possible trades and moves to reserves, there will be a lot of moves made.

Below, we keep track of all the moves we know and have heard.

Announced cuts

Monday cuts

  • WR Daylen Baldwin
  • LB Chris Garrett
  • CB Delonte Hood
  • CB Michael Ojemudia
  • S Verone McKinley III
  • OL Austen Pleasants

Tuesday cuts

  • WR Andre Baccellia

  • LB Markus Bailey

  • LB Krys Barnes

  • OL Jackson Barton

  • RB Michael Carter

  • DL T.J. Carter

  • S Andre Chachere

  • WR Dan Chisena

  • CB Jaden Davis

  • RB Hassan Hall

  • OL Marquis Hayes Jr.

  • DL Phil Hoskins

  • OL Keith Ismael

  • DL Naquan Jones

  • LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams

  • DL Myles Murphy

  • LB Trevor Nowaske

  • WR Tejhaun Palmer

  • CB Bobby Price

  • QB Desmond Ridder

  • TE Bernhard Seikovits

  • LB Tyreke Smith

  • DL Ben Stille

  • TE Blake Whiteheart

  • OL Elijah Wilkinson

  • CB Divaad Wilson

Injury releases

These players have been waived with injury designations. They will revert to injured reserve if they go unclaimed.

  • TE Sage Surrayy

Placed on injured reserve

  • OL Christian Jones (designated to return)
  • RB Tony Jones Jr.
  • DL Darius Robinson (designated to return)

Trades

Suspended list

Waiver claims

  • None announced

Cardinals players claimed

  • None announced

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.

 

Cardinals announce roster moves to trim roster to 53 players

These are the moves the Cardinals made before the roster cutdown deadline on Tuesday.

The Arizona Cardinals made the necessary moves to get the roster down to 53 players. To do so, 26 players were cut, one player was traded, three were placed on injured reserve and one player was waived with an injury designation.

These are the 26 players they cut:

  • WR Andre Baccellia

  • LB Markus Bailey

  • LB Krys Barnes

  • OL Jackson Barton

  • RB Michael Carter

  • DL T.J. Carter

  • S Andre Chachere

  • WR Dan Chisena

  • CB Jaden Davis

  • RB Hassan Hall

  • OL Marquis Hayes Jr.

  • DL Phil Hoskins

  • OL Keith Ismael

  • DL Naquan Jones

  • LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams

  • DL Myles Murphy

  • LB Trevor Nowaske

  • WR Tejhaun Palmer

  • CB Bobby Price

  • QB Desmond Ridder

  • TE Bernhard Seikovits

  • LB Tyreke Smith

  • DL Ben Stille

  • TE Blake Whiteheart

  • OL Elijah Wilkinson

  • CB Divaad Wilson

One player was waived with an injury designation — tight end Sage Surratt. If he clears waivers, he will revert to injured reserve.

Three players were placed on injured reserve:

  • OL Christian Jones (designated to return)
  • RB Tony Jones Jr.
  • DL Darius Robinson (designated to return)

Receiver Zay Jones was moved from the active roster to the reserve for players suspended by the league, thus not counting against the 53-man roster.

Jones and Robinson must miss at least four games before they can return to practice.

The Cardinals also announced that linebacker Cameron Thomas was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft (the pick the Chiefs received in a trade with the New York Jets).

This is not the final state of the roster, as they might add waiver claims, which would necessitate corresponding moves.

But these are the moves that they made to get to 53 players.

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.

 

Cardinals releasing QB Desmond Ridder

Ridder was beaten out by Clayton Tune to be the Cardinals’ backup quarterback. We will see if they bring him back to the practice squad.

Third-year quarterback Desmond Ridder has lost the competition to be the Arizona Cardinals’ backup quarterback. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Cardinals are releasing Ridder among the moves to get the roster down to 53 players.

Ridder was acquired via trade this offseason from the Atlanta Falcons for receiver Rondale Moore.

He was the favorite to be the backup to Kyler Murray, but second-year quarterback Clayton Tune beat him, outperforming the former third-round pick in all three preseason contests.

Ridder’s release also answers the question about whether the Cardinals will keep three quarterbacks on the roster. They will not.

Now is the waiting game for Ridder. If he clears waivers, he can re-sign with the Cardinals on the practice squad. The Cardinals kept a third quarterback on the practice squad all last season.

Ridder has started 17 games in his NFL career, going 8-9 in those games. He has thrown 14 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in his career and has five career rushing touchdowns.

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.