After playing on “Thursday Night Football,” the Cardinals had the benefit of an extra practice day on Monday, Sept. 29, to open Week 5.

That extra day brought a mixed bag on the injury front. Most notably, cornerback Will Johnson returned to practice after missing the past two weeks with a groin injury.

“He’s taking it day by day, he’s doing a good job,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “Hopefully, we’ll get him back out there.”

Running back Trey Benson was not at practice. The first injury report of the week comes out each Wednesday, so Benson’s status will be one to monitor.

Benson did not play on the Cardinals’ final drive in Week 4 as they leaned on pass-catching back Emari Demercado. Gannon, though, did not mention any injuries immediately after the game, as he does for players who depart due to injury.

“Just taking it day by day,” Gannon said of Benson.

If Benson misses any time, the Cardinals could turn to Michael Carter as their lead back, a role he filled for two games last year.

With the first four games of the season complete, this was also the first opportunity for the Cardinals to open the practice window for players who began the season on either the injured reserve or physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

They did open that window for defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, who has been out since last October with a neck injury. That means Nichols now has a 21-day window during which he can practice without being added to the active roster. He can be activated at any time, but if he is not activated after 21 days, his season is over.

Once activated, Nichols would boost a defensive line that has seen its depth eroded by injuries.

“He’s a good football player,” Gannon said. “Can play a couple different hats for us. So it’s good to have him back out there today. He plays the way you want to play. He’s got energy and juice.”

The Cardinals did not open the practice window for any of their other eligible players: defensive tackle Walter Nolen (calf), edge rusher B.J. Ojulari (knee), defensive tackle Justin Jones (knee), offensive tackle Hayden Conner (knee) and offensive tackle Christian Jones (knee).

Nolen, the Cardinals’ first-round pick, is the most important player on that list. He suffered a calf injury a week before training camp. Initial reports suggested that he had a chance to be ready for Week 1, but that timeline proved optimistic.

But when asked whether he is concerned about Nolen, Gannon responded with one word: “No.”

Cardinals sign Michael Carter to active roster

The Cardinals filled the lone empty spot on their 53-man roster, signing running back Michael Carter from the practice squad.

They filled Carter’s place on the practice squad by acquiring running back D’Ernest Johnson, who has appeared in 95 games with the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars over the past six seasons, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

Carter has been with the Cardinals since 2023, mostly on the practice squad. He has taken advantage of his few opportunities, though, averaging 4.8 yards per carry with the team.

Last season, he played a key role in the Cardinals’ final two games, with James Conner, Benson and Demercado all out. In those games, he had 30 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown, to go along with six catches for 27 yards on six targets.

This season, Carter was a game-day elevation in Week 4, although he only saw one carry. If Benson is out in Week 5, Carter could take over as the Cardinals’ lead back, with Demercado as the pass-catching back and Zonovan Knight mostly playing special teams.

Demercado does not profile as a feature back and hasn’t been used in that role since two games in 2023.

Gannon said that Carter got a standing ovation from his teammates when he was told that he was being signed to the active roster.

“Mike’s an integral part of this team,” Gannon said. “When you’ve got guys that, when their number’s called, have performed, they star their role, they have a good attitude, they’re team-first guys. You can’t have enough of those guys around.”

Gannon explains 2-point conversion decision

After scoring a touchdown to cut their deficit to 20-12 with 5:50 left in the fourth quarter of Week 4, the Cardinals opted to kick an extra point, making the score 20-13, rather than trying a 2-point conversion.

Because of the Seahawks’ walk-off field goal, the move didn’t ultimately matter. But it was a decision that went against modern analytics.

If a team is successful on their 2-point attempt in that situation — roughly a 50% chance — they can then kick an extra point to win if they score another touchdown. If they fail, they can attempt another 2-point attempt to force overtime.

That means that going for two gives a team a roughly 50% chance to win, a 25% chance to lose and a 25% chance to force overtime — assuming they score another touchdown. Settling for the extra point effectively ensures a 100% chance of overtime.

In his news conference, Gannon explained his decision.

“We talk about it,” Gannon said. “That’s a good point. It was a discussion. I’ve went back and forth. A little bit of game flow to that one. I liked putting another point on the board and putting it where it was at that point in the game. But that’s a good point, there’s a lot of discussion around that. Not in our building, just around the world. It’s real. Some games we might.”