Tag: J.R. Sweezy

Cardinals offense will be ‘dynamic,’ Kyler Murray ‘elite’ in 2020, says J.R. Sweezy

Sweezy believes opponents will find it very difficult to defend the Cardinals with all their weapons.

How good can the Arizona Cardinals offense and quarterback Kyler Murray be in 2020? They could be one of the more exciting teams to watch this coming season.

After all, Murray enters his second season, a year where young quarterbacks often see a big jump in production. We have seen it in Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Mitchell Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson in recent years.

J.R. Sweezy, the Cardinals’ starting right guard, has nothing but hyperbole to say about his quarterback.

“He’s taken a huge step,” he told reporters this week. “He was great last year. This year, he’s going to be elite.”

Those are big expectations.

Offensively, Sweezy sees the Cardinals as being very difficult to handle.

“We’re going to be able to do some special things as an offense,” he said. “I think we’re going to be dynamic.”

He noted they will use every weapon they have. They have one of the best receivers in the game today in DeAndre Hopkins, one of the greatest ever in Larry Fitzgerald, a running back who was dynamic for the second half of the season in Kenyan Drake and other players who will be productive.

“People are going to have a really tough time finding a way to stop that,” he said.

Cardinals fans hope that is the case.

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OL J.R. Sweezy could be a surprise cut for Cardinals

They might be comfortable with Justin Murray at right guard and they would gain $5 million in cap savings.

The Arizona Cardinals must cut down their roster to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. There will be a number of difficult decisions to make, as they must balance talent, depth and the salary cap.

While many of the roster decisions seem pretty set, there is always a surprise or two.

If there is going to be a surprise for the Cardinals, it could be guard J.R. Sweezy.

Sweezy was solid in 2019, playing in and starting all 16 games at right guard.

Why would they cut him?

The Cardinals have been vocal about their praise of Justin Murray and trusting he can play at tackle or guard. A recent video the team showed on Cards Camp Central had Murray getting first-team reps at right guard next to center Mason Cole. It might have been a practice when Sweezy was given the day off, or it also could be Murray has earned a look as the starter.

Cutting Sweezy would save a lot of money. Murray makes $750,000 in 2020. Sweezy will make as much as $5 million. His cap number is $6.5 million this year. Cutting him would save $5 million in cap space, which could come in nicely.

Cutting Sweezy could also make the numbers on the roster work better. They could keep only nine offensive linemen on the roster, giving more spots to other positions. Their depth wouldn’t necessarily be an issue, either.

If Murray starts with Kelvin Beachum at right tackle, they would have Max Garcia, Lamont Gaillard, rookie Josh Jones and Joshua Miles they could keep as backups. That would be two backup tackles and two guys in Garcia and Gaillard who can play guard and center. Murray also gives them tackle depth.

While the Cardinals have preached continuity on the offensive line, between the salary cap savings and the talent they already have, cutting J.R. Sweezy might be a somewhat surprising move that makes some sense.

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At least 3 Cardinals did not practice on Thursday

Christian Kirk, J.R. Sweezy and Brett Toth were not seen practicing during the open part of practice.

The Arizona Cardinals practiced for the fifth consecutive day but did not go with full pads on Thursday in training camp. Based on what media members in attendance were able to ee during the open portion of practice, three players did not participate.

After five players did not practice on Wednesday, four of whom appeared to simply get the day off, the three not seen participating are different.

On Thursday, they appeared to be without receiver Christian Kirk and offensive linemen J.R. Sweezy and Brett Toth.

Of the three, Sweezy is most likely to have been given a day off. With Kirk, who is in his third year, and Toth, who has yet to play an NFL game, that might not be the case.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury did not speak to reporters after Thursday’s practice, so no one was able to confirm their status.

The Cardinals will practice on Friday before taking Saturday off.

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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 Spotify.

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No Cardinals among top guards list despite Justin Pugh’s solid 2019

Pugh had a top-10 pass-blocking grade in 2019 according to PFF.

Arizona Cardinals left guard Justin Pugh quietly had a very solid year in 2019. He struggled a bit in his first season with the team in 2018, dealing with injuries and playing right guard for the first time.

Moving to left guard, which has been his best position in the NFL, he was probably the most consistent and best lineman the Cardinals had last season.

In particular, Pro Football Focus gave him high grades for his pass blocking, earning the ninth-highest rating for pass blocking among guards with an 82.2.

Even with his solid pass blocking, he did not crack the top 11 guards in the league, according to Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar.

The top 11 includes household names like Quenton Nelson, Joe Thuney and David DeCastro.

Pugh being left off the list is understandable.

That said, he did become the player they envisioned he would be when they signed him to a five-year, $45 million contract. Another season like that and he should get some chatter for the Pro Bowl, although that will be difficult to achieve with many more recognizable names in the league at the position.

The Cardinals’ starting right guard, J.R. Sweezy, was not one of the best in the league, but he added consistent toughness to the line’s interior. He won’t ever get mentioned among the best either and likely will never even get Pro Bowl chatter, but he was more than capable in 2019 and should be equally effective in 2020.

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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. 269

Ep. 268

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Ep. 267

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Seahawks carousel of starters at left guard likely to continue

The Seattle Seahawks have had a new starter at left guard in each of the last six seasons, a streak that will likely continue in 2020.

Russell Wilson has been the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks since the 2012 season. Who has lined up in front of him, particularly at the left guard spot, has been new nearly every single year.

With Mike Iupati set to hit free agency, and seemingly an unlikely candidate to be re-signed, the Seahawks are almost certainly going to have a different starter at left guard for the seventh(!) consecutive year.

Since James Carpenter made 39 starts for the Seahawks from 2011-2014, most of them at left guard, the team has cycled through Justin Britt (2015) Mark Glowinski (2016) Luke Joeckel (2017) J.R. Sweezy (2018) and now Iupati (2019).

Wilson will never talk badly about anyone or any situation he is faced with, but considering how often he has stressed the importance of continuity along the offensive line, this has to be a source of chagrin for the franchise quarterback.

The streak likely won’t end in 2020, unless the team re-signs Iupati, but there is hope that it won’t extend beyond that.

Assuming Iupati is not retained, the Seahawks could look to replace him with one of the many young, internal options they have been collecting over the past few years.

Jamarco Jones, originally drafted as a right tackle, filled in for Iupati and Fluker a handful of times this year, and looked really good as a potential NFL guard. Considering how much he struggled when he was asked to play tackle, his future may be on the interior, and he seems like a prime candidate to challenge for a starting job next season.

He’ll have to compete with 2019 rookie Phil Haynes, who thanks to a sports hernia only managed to play in two games last year. He looked pretty good in the second half against Green Bay however, and is primed to take over a bigger role in 2020.

Haynes and Jones are the primary competitors, but Ethan Pocic could be in the mix if he is not handed the starting center job by virtue of Britt’s release. Jordan Simmons and Demetrius Knox missed the entire season with injuries, but Simmons in particular looked good as a fill-in in 2018 and could be in the mix as well – and of course Seattle could use an early pick in the 2020 NFL draft to bring in some starting competition.

Seattle will almost certainly have a new starter at left guard again in 2020, but Wilson and the fans can hope whoever it is ends up sticking around for a while, creating continuity up front for a team that sorely needs it.

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7 potential salary cap casualties for the Cardinals in 2020

If the Cardinals want to add even more cap space this offseason, these are players who could be cut or traded.

The Arizona Cardinals will have as much as $74 million in salary cap space when the new league year begins, depending on what moves they make with their own pending free agents before then.

They can increase that cap space by curring or trading players.

Who are potential salary-cap casualties?

RB David Johnson

Rob Schumacher/The Rep

Johnson’s cap hit in 2020 is more than $14 million. However, the Cardinals can’t simply cut him or they will lose more than $4 million in cap space because it would generate more than $18 million in dead money because his 2020 salary is fully guaranteed.

Cutting him is not an option, but trading him is. In a trade, they would save more than $8 million in cap space, although it would generate $6 million in dead money.

His future with the team is perhaps the most pressing question of the offseason.

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Russell Wilson reunites with best friend in Robert Turbin

The Seattle Seahawks brought back Russell Wilson’s best friend, Robert Turbin, who originally joined the team in the 2012 draft class.

The Seattle Seahawks brought back a pair of familiar faces this week, signing former running backs Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin to replace Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise.

While Lynch’s return has garnered the most attention, understandably, Turbin’s reputation as a strong blocker and receiver out of the backfield will make him an appealing replacement for Prosise as the team’s no. 3 back.

More than that, Turbin is a strong locker room presence as a six-year NFL veteran, and his return is a chance to reunite quarterback Russell Wilson with his best friend.

“He was in my wedding,” Wilson said on Thursday. “A guy that I’ve been super close to ever since day one.”

Turbin and Wilson both came to Seattle in their incredible 2012 NFL Draft class, joined by Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin and J.R. Sweezy.

Wilson went in the third round, with Turbin following a round later and joining Wagner as picks out of Utah State. However, despite the relationship with Wagner, Turbin and Wilson took to each other right away.

“I’ll never forget when we had the rookie symposium,” Wilson continued. “It was the first time all of us Seahawks being together and everything. I walked into my hotel room and there was Robert Turbin. He was my roommate. I remember us sitting there listening to oldies and just jamming out and having fun. Talking life, getting to know each other and everything else. Fast forward, we went to the event and everything those couple days or whatever it was. I remember us going to Canton, being in Canton and going to the Hall of Fame and walking around and talking about where we wanted to go and how we wanted to get there. Every day, we’ve always supported each other.”

The two remained teammates from 2012-2014, before Turbin was claimed off waivers by the Browns in September of 2015.

Turbin bounced around in 2015 before spending three years with Indianapolis, where he last played in October of 2018.

While Turbin’s career has not gone quite according to plan, his relationship with Wilson was no doubt a key in his return to the Seahawks, and should help him contribute on game day.

“Our roads have been slightly different, but they’ve been the same,” Wilson said. “We’ve always supported each other and always been together, even when we’re apart. He’s one of my best friends in the world. A guy who works extremely hard. A guy who’s ready to play, excited to play. He’s a guy who’s tough as nails.”

Turbin may not be called upon to do much on Sunday, but his presence should have a positive impact on Wilson’s morale heading into the biggest (and final) game of the regular season.

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Cardinals suffer a pair of ankle injuries in loss to Steelers

They appear to be the only injuries of note from the Cardinals’ loss to the Steelers.

The Arizona Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday 23-17. They appear to have come out of the game fairly clean when it comes to injuries.

There were a pair of ankle injuries to note, though.

Defensive lineman Rodney Gunter left the game with an ankle injury. He did not return.

Starting right guard J.R. Sweezy apparently tweaked his ankle during the game. In the first half, he was replaced by Mason Cole. Sweezy started the second half and they basically rotated series in the second half.

Sweezy’s ankle injury did not show up on the injury report during the week so it had to have happened during the game. “We wanted to make sure guys were fresh and healthy and had a little bit of a rotation,” said Kliff Kingsbury after the game.

Kingsbury will address reporters Monday afternoon and might tell us more about the health of the team and the status of Gunter, but the first official injury report of the week will not come out until Wednesday.

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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.

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Cardinals injury report: G J.R. Sweezy sits out practice with illness

The Cardinals are still quite healthy as they prepare for the Steelers.

The Arizona Cardinals began their week of practice on Wednesday to prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They released their first injury report of the week and they are pretty healthy overall. Four players sat out Wednesday’s practice but only two were because of injuries. One player was limited.

Did not practice

  • DL Jonathan Bullard (hamstring)
  • WR Larry Fitzgerald (day off)
  • DL Corey Peters (day off)
  • G J.R. Sweezy (illness)

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury already has said that Bullard will miss multiple weeks with the hamstring injury. Sweezy apparently is sick and probably will be able to play unless the illness lingers all week.

Fitzgerald and Peters usually get days off.

Limited

  • S Jalen Thompson (concussion)

Thompson being limited is good. It means he has progressed through the protocol. If he is symptom-free after practicing, he should be a full participant by the end of the week.

Rookie offensive lineman Lamont Gaillard was also listed on the report as a full participant with a thumb injury.

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

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