So far at OTAs, rookie linebacker B.J. Ojulari has been in attendance but has not been on the field practicing. As the only unsigned draft pick, it has raised questions as to whether he is holding out at all.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters on Thursday that is not the case.
Ojulari is being held out with a small injury.
“We’re just being careful with B.J. He’s got a little bit of a nick,” Gannon said. “He’s in there in the meetings and out there and he could probably go, but we’re just making sure we’re doing the right thing in early June right now.”
PHNX Sports’ Howard Balzer noted that Ojulari dealt with a hamstring injury before the draft.
That being extra careful might have everything to do with the fact that he is not signed yet.
Second-round picks are sometimes the last to sign because how much of their contract is guaranteed is up for negotiation.
The Cardinals’ last two picks in the second round, receiver Rondale Moore and tight end Trey McBride, had two years of salary fully guaranteed. Their 2019 second-round pick, cornerback Byron Murphy, now with the Minnesota Vikings, had three years of fully guaranteed salary.
But if Ojulari has a minor injury, now is the time to make sure that he gets fully healed.
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