Tag: Justin Pugh

Report: Cardinals shopped pair of O-linemen; Justin Pugh discussed

The Cardinals reportedly were shopping Max Garcia and Joshua Miles. Justin Pugh’s name came up in talks.

The Arizona Cardinals have apparently been busy trying to work out some trades to make building their final roster a little easier. According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, they were shopping multiple offensive linemen.

The names that have come up are veteran guard Max Garcia, second-year tackle Joshua Miles and starting left guard Justin Pugh.

The surprising name on here is Pugh, but Breer clarified. Pugh’s name came up in trade talks. It doesn’t appear that it was initiated by the Cardinals.

The Cardinals don’t have a ton of space under the salary cap and Pugh is a solid starter.

Dealing Miles would be similar to what the Cardinals did last year when they traded Korey Cunningham. With third-round draft pick Josh Jones, the Cardinals probably see Miles as a luxury, or as a young asset.

Moving Garcia would free up more money, as he is due $910,000 with $450,000 of it guaranteed.

He is projected to be their main interior backup, but is they are willing to move him, it means they trust Justin Murray and perhaps recently signed Koda Martin.

We will see if a deal actually gets done over the weekend.

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Remembering the Giants’ biggest training camp fights from recent years

As the New York Giants ready themselves for the first padded practice of the year, here’s a look back at some of their biggest camp fights.

The New York Giants will put on the pads for the first time on Monday, which means tempers are likely to flare and fists may begin to fly.

That may sound dramatic, but it’s just the nature of NFL training camps. And when considering the Giants will also hold intrasquad scrimmages once per week, it seems almost inevitable that a few punches will be thrown.

With that in mind, here’s a look back at some of the biggest and most memorable Giants training camp fights from recent years.

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

2019: Lorenzo Carter vs. Nick Gates

The Giants didn’t do much fighting in 2019, but there were a few dust-ups.

One such incident came last August when linebacker Lorenzo Carter and offensive lineman Nick Gates got into a bit of a scrap.

While neither player swung at the other, there were a few shoves before teammates swarmed and pulled the two apart.

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Giants select Zach Ertz in 2013 NFL re-draft

The New York Giants select TE Zach Ertz as opposed to OL Justin Pugh in Bleacher Report’s 2013 NFL re-draft.

In the 2013 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected offensive lineman Justin Pugh with pick No. 19, and envisioned him being a mainstay at tackle for quite some time.

That, of course, did not happen as Pugh was bounced around from position to position before developing injury issues that persist to this day — currently with the Arizona Cardinals.

Pugh was a very likable, talented player, but things simply didn’t work out. As a result, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report has the Giants passing on Pugh in favor of tight end Zach Ertz in his 2013 NFL re-draft.

It’s nowhere close to fair to call Justin Pugh a bust as a professional. He has battled some injury issues and hasn’t made a Pro Bowl, but he has made 86 career starts at guard and tackle over seven seasons—including all 16 games in 2019 for the Arizona Cardinals.

But while Pugh has been good, Zach Ertz has been great.

In each of the last five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Ertz has topped 70 receptions and 800 receiving yards. That includes a 2018 season in which Ertz set a new high-water mark in NFL history for receptions in a season by a tight end with 116.

In 2013, the depth chart at tight end for the Giants featured Larry Donnell, Brandon Myers, Bear Pascoe and Adrien Robinson.

It’s not a stretch to say Ertz would be a massive improvement over that motley crew.

Ironically, Ertz has been a Giants killer throughout his career, so it would have been nice to have that production on the other side — especially since Big Blue’s tight end unit had been a bit lacking prior to the arrival of Evan Engram.

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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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Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins, Justin Pugh honored by PFF for clutch play

Maybe Kyler Murray can make the list next year.

The Arizona Cardinals traded for one of the most clutch player in the NFL this offseason. That player is receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Pro Football Focus put together its all-clutch team for 2019 and two Cardinals made the list. One was Hopkins and the other was guard Justin Pugh.

Hopkins made the first team.

Given Watson’s success in the clutch, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see his former right-hand man, Hopkins, also on this list. Hopkins caught 24 passes for 384 yards and a touchdown without any drops, commanding the football with the game on the line. 

Pugh’s stats in the fourth quarter and overtime were not given because he was on the second team but he obviously came up big as a blocker when it mattered most.

If quarterback Kyler Murray can develop into one of the better clutch players in the league, then the Cardinals will be in line to win some games.

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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. 268

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Ep. 267

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The best and worst contracts on the Cardinals roster

See where the Cardinals have made good deals and not so good deals.

Free agency in the NFL in the year 2020 is off to an exciting start and the Arizona Cardinals have been extremely involved in the process.

The Cardinals have done over $100 million in deals in the 2020 offseason and still sit at around $9 million in remaining cap space according to Spotrac.

While every deal isn’t necessarily a great deal, here’s a look at some of the best and worst contracts that the Cardinals’ currently have on their roster:

Best: WR DeAndre Hopkins

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

This one is an absolute no-brainer.

The Cardinals have arguably the best wide receiver in the league at a very reasonable cost in former Houston Texans All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins was sent to the Cardinals from the Texans in a controversial and widely criticized trade involving former Cardinals star running back David Johnson where the Texans would receive the Cardinals’ 2020 second-round pick and their 2021 fourth-round pick. The Cardinals would also receive the Texans’ 2020 fourth-round pick in the trade.

What makes this contract so valuable is the fact that Hopkins has the eighth-highest salary at his position at $16.2 million. To put it into retrospect, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has the highest average yearly salary at $22 million. Hopkins’ yearly average is lower than notable players such as Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green ($17.865 million) and Cleveland Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. ($18 million).

The interesting caveat is that Hopkins has no dead cap, meaning that if the Cardinals somehow cut him or trade him, they would not face any dead money hit for doing so.

This may be the biggest value trade in the entire NFL for years to come.

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6 ways the Cardinals can add cap space for free agency

They now have about $39.7 million in cap space. Here are ways to increase that number to prepare for free agency.

As free agency approaches, the Arizona Cardinals have a little less than $40 million available to use under the salary cap. While that is s decent amount to work with, it is in the lower half of the league in cap space.

So what can the Cardinals do to increase their cap space?

Trade RB David Johnson

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

This will free up a bunch of cap space. He counts more than $14 million against the cap this season. They can’t cut him because his salary is fully guaranteed. He could count more against the cap off the roster than on the roster and they would have to pay him his entire $10.2 million salary anyway.

However, trading him will free up roughly $10 million in cap space. The problem is finding a trade partner.

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Cardinals injury report: Kyler Murray limited, Justin Pugh upgraded

Check out the full Cardinals injury report for Thursday’s practice.

The Arizona Cardinals returned to practice on Thursday after a day off for Christmas. They released their second-to-last injury report of the season and not much changed. Quarterback Kyler Murray, dealing with a hamstring injury, was limited for the second time this week.

Two players sat out and five were limited.

Did not practice

  • TE Charles Clay (calf)
  • TE Darrell Daniels (biceps)

Both were unable to practice for the second day in a row. If both have to miss on Sunday, it will mean an increased role for Dan Arnold and more reps for offensive lineman Mason Cole, who would be used as a jumbo tight end in certain formations.

Limited

  • QB Kyler Murray (hamstring)
  • OL Justin Pugh (back)
  • S Budda Baker (Quad)
  • OLB Chandler Jones (thumb)
  • S Charles Washington (groin)

Pugh was upgraded on Thursday. It looks like he will be more set than previous weeks. The last two weeks, he only practiced some on Fridays before playing on Sunday. His getting some work in on Thursday suggests he will definitely play.

Murray was limited for the second day in a row. the decision whether he plays or not probably won’t happen until the weekend.

Everyone else was limited for the second straight day.

The final injury report of the year will come out after practice on Friday.

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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. 253:

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Ep. 252:

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Cardinals inactives: Christian Kirk, Justin Pugh will play vs. Seahawks

All seven players who will not dress are healthy scratches.

The Arizona Cardinals released their list of seven inactive players for Week 16 as they take on the Seattle Seahawks. Every player who will not dress is healthy.

Receiver Christian Kirk and left guard Justin Pugh, both of whom were questionable with injuries, are active and expected to be in the starting lineup.

Here is the full list of inactives:

  • WR KeeSean Johnson
  • CB Andre Chachere
  • S Deionte Thompson
  • LB Keishawn Bierria
  • LB Vontarrius Dora
  • OL Lamont Gaillard
  • OL Joshua Miles

Chachere, Bierria and Dora were all added to the roster this week. The rest were Day 3 draft picks this year.

The Cardinals will be at full strength as they try to knock off the Seahawks, battling to win the NFC West.

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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. 252:

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Ep. 251:

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Cardinals injury report: Christian Kirk, Justin Pugh questionable vs. Seahawks

Check out the final injury report of the week.

The Arizona Cardinals released their final injury report on Friday and they are mostly in good shape as they get ready to take on the Seattle Seahawks on the road. Three players are listed as questionable.

Questionable:

  • WR Christian Kirk (ankle)
  • OL Justin Pugh (back)
  • DL Caraun Reid (knee)

Kirk was limited for the second day in a row. Kliff Kingsbury said he Kirk wasn’t working at full speed but is hopeful he will be on Sunday. Kirk was able to finish the game last week after he had his ankle looked at. It is the same ankle that caused him to miss three games earlier this season but it is not the same injury.

Pugh was limited on Friday, practicing for the first time. It was the same last week and he played on Sunday. If he can’t play, the Cardinals are very comfortable with Mason Cole filling in.

Reid was a full participant on Friday.

Everyone else practiced fully, including linebacker Jordan Hick, who did not practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday with a calf injury.

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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. 252:

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Ep. 251:

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