Arizona will be down one more for today’s matchup with the Browns as a defensive lineman tested positive for COVID-19:
The Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals are just hours away from kicking off but the news continues to trickle out in advance of the game.
As the week has gone on, we have learned the following related to players being out for today’s game:
Cardinals edge rusher Chandler Jones was likely out, then later out, due to a COVID-19 positive test
Cardinals center Rodney Hudson out due to an injury
Browns running back Nick Chubb out due to an injury
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury and two other coaches are out due to COVID-19 positive tests
Browns starting tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin are likely out due to injuries.
Now comes news that the Cardinals, now in more intensive COVID protocols, will be missing another player. Defensive lineman Corey Peters will miss the game as he was placed on the COVID-19 list on Sunday. Peters is Arizona’s backup nose tackle.
Peters has only played in 106 snaps for the Cardinals defense this year but has graded 72.6 as a tackler and 62.5 in pass rush according to Pro Football Focus.
The Cardinals have elevated Jonathan Ledbetter from their practice squad to take Peters’ place. Ledbetter has only played in one game in the NFL, 2019 for the Miami Dolphins, as a rookie.
Unless something unforeseen occurs in the next two hours, the Arizona COVID related issues for Week 6, but not beyond, should be put to rest with the Peters news.
The Cardinals now have three players and two coaches who will miss the game against the Browns because of a positive test for COVID-19.
The Arizona Cardinals will be without another player because of a positive test for COVID-19. They are already without linebacker Chandler Jones and defensive end Zach Allen, and coaches Kliff Kingsbury and Cam Turner, plus general manager Steve Keim are not with the team because of positive tests.
The latest is veteran defensive tackle Corey Peters. The team announced he was placed on the COVID list. He will not play against the Cleveland Browns.
Replacing him on the roster is defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter.
This gives the Cardinals six defensive linemen on the roster — Ledbetter, J.J. Watt, Leki Fotu, Rashard Lawrence, Michael Dogbe and Jordan Phillips, who was activated off injured reserve this week.
The return of Phillips is huge. He is supposed to be one of their best interior defenders but missed the first five games of the year with a back injury that also sidelined him for almost all of training camp.
He will likely be in the starting lineup with Watt, as well as Lawrence, if they open the game in a base defense.
The Cardinals will release their inactive list in a little more than an hour from now.
#Cardinals bring back DL Corey Peters on one-year deal:
The Cardinals did not bring back defensive lineman Corey Peters after last season. But better late than never because the team is now re-signing him.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Peters has signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals:
The #AZCardinals are bringing back a familiar face: DT and locker room leader Corey Peters is expected to sign in AZ, source said. The former AZ Walter Payton Man Of The Year worked out for the team and now gets a 1-year deal.
Just prior to Rap Sheet’s report, Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury did acknowledge that Peters had a workout with the team on Monday. In addition, Kingsbury said that defensive lineman Jordan Phillips would miss practice that same day.
The coach described Phillips’ situation as a “minor thing” and did not sound too concerned with his status. Pass rusher J.J. Watt also remains on the PUP list.
Peters has played five seasons in Arizona. He recorded 146 tackles and eight sacks over that time frame. Last season the 33-year-old’s campaign was cut short in Week 10 due to a season-ending knee injury.
Via NFL insider Josina Anderson, Peters said he felt the Cards have been on the right path during his time with the team and he’s hopeful to help them continue that direction:
Free agent DT Corey Peters tells me that he's re-signing with the #Cardinals on a 1-year deal: "I feel like we're on the right path. My season last year was cut short, so I'm excited to get back out there with this team and accomplish the goals that we have set." @RapSheet 1st.
Should Arizona bring the underrated Shelby Harris to the desert and re-unite him with Vance Joseph?
In a continued look at free agents the Arizona Cardinals could look at signing, we look at defensive lineman Shelby Harris.
Harris would make a ton of sense for Arizona, given his history in working with Vance Joseph. Though he’s not likely to be considered a “splash” signing, given Arizona’s lack of defensive line depth, it might be a smart one.
Harris does not seem to offer a ton of upside in the pass rush area, as he had 2.5 sacks this past year and his previous high is six in 2019, but was considered by many Broncos fans to be a pivotal piece of their defensive line, although to some Denver fans, he is a bit of an enigma. He also added 32 combined tackles.
He had an excellent PFF grade this past season with 88.3, meaning he impacted the games far beyond sack totals.
He could wind up being a cheaper option (given the lack of cap space), and could step in right away, already knowing Joseph’s system.
Spotrac estimates he would get around $10M per season and that Arizona would be the best fit actually. He could slide in right away as a starter at DE, alongside Jordan Phillips and perhaps Corey Peters (if re-signed) or Zack Allen.
Harris may not have the upside of a defensive tackle such as Leonard Williams, but he would be a solid addition to the defensive line rotation for Arizona.
What are your thoughts? Should the Cards re-unite Vance Joseph with Harris?
Could Arizona try to make a splash by signing the former top 10 pick to add to their defense?
In a continued look at some free agents the Aruzona Cardinals could pursue, today we look at Leonard Williams, who has been rumored to be linked to the Cardinals in a couple of spots.
Williams had a breakout season this past season with the New York Giants (11.5 sacks) after being a top 10 pick for the other New York team. However, last year was easily his best season.
Williams would offer run support as well as pass rushing chops that the Cards could use on the defensive line, especially if they move on from Corey Peters.
He would theoretically fit easily into Arizona’s 3-4 defense, having played in a similar system in New York. However, one would have to wonder whether signing Jordan Phillips last season might make Arizona gun shy, as they spent a lot of money ($12M cap hit in 2021) after his breakout season in Buffalo (however, he was injured much of the season).
Williams could theoretically have a higher upside than Phillips, and could add star power to the Cardinals defensive line.
What do you think Cardinals fans? Is Williams worth the risk?
A look at Peters’ season in 2020 and the factors that affect his potential return to the Cardinals in 2021.
One of the Arizona Cardinals’ many unrestricted free agents this offseason is defensive tackle Corey Peters. Will he be back in 2021?
Peters is finishing his sixth season with the Cardinals and his 11th overall. However, his last season with the Cardinals ended after only nine games when he suffered a major knee injury that ended his season.
He was having a solid year. In nine games, the defensive captain had 15 tackles and two sacks, as well as a pass breakup.
He is one of the most respected players in the locker room for how he handles himself on and off the field. He has been one of the most visible Cardinals players in the community.
However, the Cardinals have drafted four defensive linemen (Zach Allen, Michael Dogbe, Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence) in the last two years and, particularly the addition Lawrence, it feels like the team is transitioning away from Peters.
Peters has expressed a desire to return but is cognizant of how the business of the NFL goes. He will be 33 years old and is coming off a knee injury. He has ruptured both his Achilles in his career.
However, he is exactly the sort of player the Cardinals need on the defensive line. He is a leader and can produce in a limited or extensive role. He has played more than anticipated some seasons because of injuries and production.
There have been no talks yet about re-signing him but that still could some, as the decreasing salary cap creates a lot of moving parts for teams.
There is a place in the league for a player of Peters’ caliber but he might get passed over in the first wave of free agency. Coming off the injury, he will probably end up signing somewhere, whether it is Arizona or elsewhere, near the start of training camp, or once he is cleared medically to play.
A look at the performance in 2020 and how things might go this offseason.
The Arizona Cardinals are in the offseason and are evaluating what to do to improve and address the roster in 2021.
As we have done previously with the quarterback, running back, wide receiver and offensive line positions, we will look at each position group, how it did in 2020, who is on the roster moving forward and what the Cardinals need at the position moving forward.
He has done outstanding work on and off the field. He was also the Falcons’ team choice for the award in 2011.
Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Corey Peters is injured and done for the season but his work in the community has not gone unnoticed. The team announced he was named as the team’s choice for the Walter Payton Man of the Year for 2020.
Each of the 32 franchises selects a player for the team award and is a finalist for the league award, which is the highest off-field honor a player can earn.
It is the second time Peters has been given the team award. He was named the Walter Payton Man of the year for the Atlanta Falcons in 2011.
As the recipient of the team award this year, he receives a $40,000 donation in his name to the charity of his choice.
Were Peters still playing, he would be able to wear a decal on his helmet recognizing his award. The five active players in the league who have won the league award before get to wear a patch on their jersey for the rest of their careers. Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald is one of those five players.
During the week of the Super Bowl, the NFL Honors ceremony will announce the league winner for this season. The winner will receive a $250,000 donation for the charity of his choice.
Having been a team recipient now twice, Peters has a much better chance of receiving the league award.
Below is a description of his community work, as shared by the team in a press release.
In 2012, Peters established his foundation, the Peters Education Enrichment Project (PEEP), to make a difference in the communities close to him while developing life skills and empowering future leaders. Since joining the Cardinals in 2015, he has continued that commitment in Arizona by consistently volunteering at community service events in addition to his foundation work.
Peters and his foundation have been particularly impactful in Phoenix’s South Pointe School District where he launched a bi-weekly book club, providing lunch and hosting in-person discussion with high school students. The Corey Peters Playbook continued virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic with current and former teammates – including Calais Campbell, the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year – joining the book club meetings.
This past November, in partnership with Harvest Compassion Center, Peters and his foundation donated Thanksgiving turkeys to families in the South Pointe School District. In July, Peters teamed up with UnitedHealthcare and Harvest Compassion Center to distribute care packages containing toiletries, hygiene products, clothes, school supplies and food items to 150 South Pointe families in need. Consistent with his efforts to feed the less fortunate, Peters also became an ambassador for Feed the Children, a non-profit organization whose mission is to end childhood hunger.
Earlier this year, during the week of Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Peters worked with the “Kids In Need Foundation,” a non-profit organization preparing children to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies. He helped deliver backpacks and school supplies to Fisher Elementary School in the Miami-Dade County Public School District.
Peters has also been active within the youth football community in Arizona, establishing the Corey Peters “Lineman Challenge” and hosting specialized skills camps for high school level offensive and defensive linemen. During the 2019 offseason, he participated in a Gatorade Jr. Training Camp in Gilbert for 150 special needs students, and he currently serves on a local sports panel that selects the weekly Arizona Cardinals High School Coach and Player of the Week.
Peters has led efforts among teammates to create meaningful change in areas of social justice, prison reform and the education system. In 2018, Peters was among a small group of Cardinals players to join team owner Michael Bidwill for a meeting with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on criminal justice reform, and this year, he partnered with the NFL to encourage citizens in Arizona and his home state of Kentucky to register and vote.
The Cardinals now have five defensive linemen on injured reserve.
The Arizona Cardinals made a number of roster moves Thursday afternoon to prepare for their game Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks. They now have another two defensive linemen currently on injured reserve.
Corey Peters, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sunday, was placed on IR along with Jordan Phillips.
Phillips has been dealing with a hamstring injury. He injured it against the Seattle Seahawks, played minimally against the Miami Dolphins and missed the game last weekend. He was ruled out of the game tonight. He will now be out at least three weeks.
To replace both on the 53-man roster, they signed tight end Evan Baylis and outside linebacker Reggie Walker from the practice squad. The addition of Baylis makes it seen that Darrell Daniels will be out tonight. He was questionable with an ankle injury. Walker is an interesting addition because they seem to be fine at outside linebacker, unless he will take Daniels’ spot on special teams.
The team also elevated running back D.J. Foster and defensive lineman Michael Dogbe to the roster from the practice squad. Dogbe gives them four healthy defensive linemen and Foster is a core special teams player.
Peko played for Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph with the Denver Broncos.
The Arizona Cardinals have lost veteran defensive lineman Corey Peters for the rest of the season to a knee injury. That leaves a large void on the defensive line. He will be the fourth defensive lineman on injured reserve.
They apparently are looking to replace him with another veteran.
According to the league transaction report, Domata Peko, who turns 36 this month, visited the Cardinals. He has played 14 years in the league, most recently for the Baltimore Ravens in 2019.
He played for the Denver Broncos in 2017 and 2018 when Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was head coach there. He knows the defensive system. Assuming he intends on signing, he would not be able to play Thursday night when the Cardinals take on the Seattle Seahawks because of COVID testing protocols. However, he should be available for their game in Week 12 against the New England Patriots.
