92 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

Defensive lineman Frostee Rucker was an impact No. 92 for the Cardinals from 2015-2017.

As we awake on this Saturday, we are a day closer to the start of the 2024 NFL regular season. For the Arizona Cardinals, they will open their season on the road against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

That game is in 92 days.

No. 92 currently belongs to defensive lineman Bilal Nichols, signed this offseason to a three-year deal as a free agent. He is expected to be a starter and to be a key part of the defense.

The hope is that he is an impact player for the Cardinals.

Who was the last reasonably impactful player on the Cardinals to wear no. 92?

That probably would not apply to the last three players to wear it — defensive linemen Kevin Strong, Antwaun Woods or Zach Kerr.

However, Frostee Rucker was a good one. He wore No. 92 for the Cardinals from 2015-2017, although he spent two seasons before that wearing No. 98.

He bounced between being starter and key rotational player while in Arizona. He was also one of the locker room leaders.

In five seasons, he played in 73 games, starting 38 of them. he had 106 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, 42 quarterback hits, four force fumbles and a fumble recovery.

He played 12 NFL seasons.

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

 

Former Cardinal Frostee Rucker part of NFLPA Bowl coaching staff

He is getting his feet wet in the world of coaching.

Former Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Frostee Rucker has moved on to the next phase of his life. He last played in 2018 for the Oakland Raiders and finished a 12-year career.

He is still in football but now is getting involved with coaching.

Specifically, he is part of the coaching staff for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which is being played this weekend.

The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is one of the postseason bowls for players entering the NFL draft. It is more for some of the smaller schools and some of the lesser-known players.

The Cardinals signed a couple of undrafted rookies who played in last year’s game — running back Wes Hills and defensive lineman Immanuel Turner.

Rucker was a great leader in the locker room for the last several seasons in his career. A transition into coaching would make sense.

The game is Saturday, January 18 at 7 p.m. Eastern at the Rose Bowl.

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

Ep. 255

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Ep. 254

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