According to Denver 9NEWS’ Mike Klis, Banjo is transitioning immediately to coaching and will join the Denver Broncos on new head coach Sean Payton’s staff as an assistant special teams coach.
Banjo, in his 10 seasons in the NFL, was a score special teams player for every team he played for. Payton was his head coach with the New Orleans Saints when Banjo played there in 2017-2018.
Banjo played the final four seasons of his career after his time playing for Payton for the Cardinals.
He joins former Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph on Payton’s staff in Denver.
Banjo ended the season with a concussion and was scheduled to become a free agent.
The Arizona Cardinals made a roster move on Thursday, according to the NFL transaction report. They released veteran safety and special teamer Chris Banjo.
Banjo was scheduled to become a free agent next month anyway, but this was likely some procedural move.
Banjo ended the season with a concussion.
We have seen the Cardinals release veteran players scheduled to hit free agency before the free agency period after they come back from injury.
In his fourth season with the team, he appeared in 13 games, had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown against the Seahawks.
The Cardinals free up a pair of roster spots before the game on Sunday.
The Arizona Cardinals announced a pair of roster moves Friday, sending two injured players to injured reserve, freeing up roster spots for the finale against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday.
They placed safety Chris Banjo and defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter on IR.
Banjo had missed practice all week with a concussion and Ledbetter suffered a knee injury on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
This will allow the Cardinals to sign two players from the practice squad to the active roster in addition to their two standard elevations.
As running back James Conner was ruled out of the game on Sunday, we can expect a running back to be signed or elevated.
Chris Banjo will be the only safety on the bench and Trayvon Mullen should be the Cardinals’ No. 3 CB against the Panthers.
The Arizona Cardinals announced their two standard elevations from the practice squad for Week 4 as they prepare to take on the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon on the road.
For the second week in a row, wide receiver Andre Baccellia gets moved up and, as expected, safety Chris Banjo is the other player elevated to the active roster from the practice squad.
Banjo, who played for the Cardinals from 2019-2021, was signed to the practice squad earlier this week after safety Deionte Thompson was released. Following the release, the Cardinals were left with no safeties on the roster other than starters Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson.
For the first time this season, cornerback Jace Whittaker was not elevated from the practice squad. The team has used up his three standard elevations. It means that Trayvon Mullen, acquired in a trade before the season, is set to get his first defensive action as the team’s third cornerback.
The Cardinals and Panthers kick off Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Arizona time.
Banjo played for the Cardinals from 2019-2021, mostly on special teams. The Cardinals only have two safeties on the active roster.
As was expected after a visit on Wednesday, the Arizona Cardinals have made it official and have signed safety Chris Banjo. The team announced Thursday that he was signed to the practice squad, adding safety depth to the team.
As things stand right now, the Cardinals only have two safeties on the active roster — Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson — after Deionte Thompson was released to allow for linebacker Jesse Luketa to be signed to the 53-man roster.
Banjo will likely be elevated to the active roster Saturday to play on Sunday.
Banjo played the last three seasons for the Cardinals, appearing in 42 games, starting four. He had 67 tackles and a pass breakup.
He has been in the league since 2013, entering with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted rookie out of SMU. He played for the Packers and Saints before the Cardinals signed him in 2019.
As he did in previous seasons, he will wear No. 31.
We could be seeing a transaction or two coming at the safety position.
The Arizona Cardinals did not announce any roster moves Wednesday but at least one could be coming Thursday.
Safety Deionte Thompson, waived on Tuesday to make room for rookie linebacker Jesse Luketa, officially cleared waivers, meaning that, if the Cardinals wan him on the practice squad as depth at safety, they now can do that.
If that does not happen, we might see another signing. According to the NFL transaction report Wednesday, safety Chris Banjo had a visit with the Cardinals.
Banjo played for Arizona from 2019-2021, mostly on special teams.
It is quite possible we will see an announcement where he is signed to the practice squad and then he is elevated for the game on Sunday to play special teams and be depth behind starters Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson.
Banjo, now 32 years old, entered the league in 2013 as an undrafted rookie out of SMU. He has played for the Packers, Saints and Cardinals. In three seasons for the Cardinals, he appeared in 42 games, starting four. He had 67 tackles and a pass breakup.
Here are three free agents the Cardinals could bring back from last season.
With training camp set to start next month, the Arizona Cardinals will continue to monitor ways to improve the roster before September’s home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
General manager Steve Keim has made many late-offseason additions that ended up being major contributors to the team. Some of those have been bringing back some of their own free agents.
Who could the Cardinals still bring back from last season that would make sense at this point?
Banjo had been elevated to the active roster to play in games each of the last three weeks.
The Arizona Cardinals announced a roster move on Monday. They signed veteran safety and special teamer Chris Banjo to the 53-man roster after he was elevated from the practice squad to play for the third week in a row.
Banjo is in his third season with the team. He did not initially make the roster but was signed to the practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster in Week 2 as a COVID replacement and each of the last two weeks as a standard elevation.
The Cardinals now have four safeties back on the roster, as Charles Washington was placed on injured reserve last week.
To make room for Banjo, the team released offensive lineman Koda Martin, whom they signed from the practice squad last week. Martin’s release suggests that the Cardinals anticipate the return of either Kelvin Beachum or Justin Murray from their injuries.
They also released guard Shaq Calhoun from the practice squad, which is likely in anticipation of Martin being re-signed there.
Among the four players the Cardinals protected, one of is safety James Wiggins, drafted in the seventh round this year.
The Arizona Cardinals have elected to protect four practice squad players in Week 4, according to the NFL transaction report on Tuesday. Not included on this list is recently added cornerback Quinton Dunbar.
His signing did not become official until Wednesday after the Cardinals made their selections.
The four players they are protecting this week, keeping other teams from being able to sign them, are the following:
S Chris Banjo
T Eric Smith
TE Ross Travis
S James Wiggins
Banjo has been elevated to the active roster each of the last two weeks and likely will be again this week when the Cardinals take on the Rams. He is a core special teams player, and his presence is more important with the loss of safety Charles Washington, who was placed on injured reserve.
Smith’s protection is surely related to the injury of Kelvin Beachum. His availability is in doubt with a rib injury that kept him out of the last game and a half.
Wiggins might be elevated to replace Washington. Washington is one of the Cardinals’ gunners on the punt team. Wiggins got work as a punt gunner in training camp and in the preseason.
He was one of the Cardinals’ draft picks this year, getting selected in the seventh round out of Cincinnati.
CB Antonio Hamilton was protected for the third week in a row, but even with Marco Wilson’s availability unknown, CB Rasul Douglas was not protected.
The Arizona Cardinals have some injury concerns at cornerback in Week 3. Rookie corner Marco Wilson suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the Cardinals’ 34-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2 and he is considered day-to-day this week. He could miss the Cardinals’ Week 3 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.
However, even with his status in the air, the Cardinals protected only one of their cornerbacks on the practice squad.
The NFL transactions list showed the Cardinals protected four players on the practice squad this week, making it so other teams are unable to sign them.
In Week 1 and Week 2, the Cardinals protected cornerbacks Antonio Hamilton and Rasul Douglas. In Week 3, Hamilton is protected but Douglas is not. If there was any possibility he would be needed this week, he would have been.
The four players the Cardinals protected are:
S Chris Banjo
CB Antonio Hamilton
OL Sean Harlow
TE Ross Travis
Banjo and Hamilton were both elevated to the active roster for the game last week and Hamilton has been elevated both weeks. He has been a starting gunner on the punt team along with safety Charles Washington. He also replaced Wilson in the lineup after the injury.
Banjo played special teams only in Week 2.
The protection of Harlow is interesting, as it is the first time. Right tackle Kelvin Beachum is day-to-day with a rib injury, which means Justin Murray, who can play both tackle and guard, might start. Since teams must have eight linemen active for games, they might choose to elevate Harlow and keep tackle Josh Miles inactive.
Travis has now been protected two consecutive weeks.
