ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are finalizing their prep for Week 13’s matchup in Tampa Bay, and on Saturday they revealed final roster moves ahead of Sunday.
The Cardinals placed Will Hernandez on injured reserve and have activated Hayden Conner to return from IR. Tight end Pharaoh Brown and linebacker Channing Tindall were elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.
Let’s break those moves down – here’s three observations for what the Cardinals did today:
1. Will Hernandez Might Be Done in Arizona
This hurts to type, as Hernandez was not only a massive locker room guy in the desert, but also an upgrade over any current option at right guard.
Hernandez was placed on injured reserve with hip and knee injuries, and it’s unknown if he’ll return this season.
Trying to work back from an ACL injury suffered in 2024, Mijo re-signed with the Cardinals this summer but only played seven games for the organization before landing on IR.
He’s set to be a free agent, and at the age of 30 with consecutive injury-riddled years, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Arizona move forward into the future without one of the team and fan-base’s favorites.
2. Isaiah Adams Has Massive Opportunity Now
Adams was initially the starter at right guard to begin the season, and if you recall, he rotated with Trystan Colon last season when Hernandez went down with his ACL injury.
The Cardinals had hyped Adams up all offseason, though his performance to begin 2025 was less than stellar.
So much so that Hernandez was inserted into the starting lineup as soon as he got the green light.
The good news is Adams has rotated in with Hernandez in recent weeks, so it’s not as if the former third-round pick will need to be thawed before returning to the starting lineup.
Yet we’re gearing towards the end of the season, and Adams has a monster opportunity to answer a giant question at right guard for the Cardinals.
If he can elevate his level of play, Arizona won’t have to stress on finding an immediate suitor at his position.
If Adams returns to old form, the Cardinals will now have two years of film on why he’s not a viable starter for them moving forward.
Maybe pun intended – but Adams holds the cards in his hands.
3. Two Offensive Starters Should be Good to go?
Names such as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Bam Knight were questionable entering this week, though Arizona didn’t make any standard elevations to supplement those potential losses.
That doesn’t mean both are guaranteed to play – though it’s certainly a good sign for both that Arizona didn’t boost either position group ahead of Sunday.
Harrison looks to return from appendicitis surgery that kept him out the last two weeks. He practiced each day leading up to the weekend.
For Knight, he’ll likely be the starter if he’s healthy. The Cardinals didn’t activate Trey Benson this weekend while Emari Demercado was previously ruled out as well.
Kickoff is slated for Sunday at 11:00 AM MST.