The Cardinals have been hit hard by injuries in 2025. Here is a breakdown of them.

The never-ending cavalcade of injuries that has decimated the Arizona Cardinals this season has been well documented, even if many refuse to accept the facts and then repeat the tired comments about all teams having injuries.

That surely is true, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Cardinals are at the top of the league in players on injured reserve and missed games because of injuries that include numerous players who have avoided injured reserve.

While also dismissing the Cardinals’ issues, there are those that persistently mention the injury problems with the San Francisco 49ers. Even Prime Video analyst Kirk Herbstreit joined the chorus Thursday night saying they have been “ravaged” by injuries. Not so fast, “Herbie.”

The reality is that the 49ers suffered a few difficult injuries early in the season, but things have settled down in the second half of the season, particularly in a stretch of four consecutive wins and five of their last six.

Notably, they have had three offensive linemen (left tackle Trent Williams, right guard Dominick Puni and right tackle Colton McKivitz) start all 14 games, while center Jake Brendel has started 12. At left guard, they’ve had three starters but the same one (Spencer Burford) has started the last six games.

Most importantly, running back Christian McCaffrey has played all 14 games after playing only four last season. Minor detail, right?

What’s happened to the Cardinals is even more obvious after unearthing some notable numbers.

After Week 15, the Cardinals had 39 players who missed a total of 276 games because of injuries. The number has increased to 40 with cornerback Darren Hall out for this week and the missed games will be around 300 after Sunday. Fifteen of the 40 will have missed at least 10 games for a total of at least 190 after Sunday. Keep in mind, missed games doesn’t account for snaps missed in the games where injuries occur.

Current reserve totals for the NFC WestArizona: 16 on IR/PUP since cut to 53, 4 pre-53 IR/NFI, 1 on IR practicing. Total: 21L.A. Rams: 4 on IR since cut to 53, 1 pre-53. Total: 5San Francisco: 5 IR/NFI since cut to 53, 5 pre-53, 2 practicing. Total: 12Seattle: 5 IR since cut to 53, 2 pre-53. Total: 7

It doesn’t take a math wizard to see that the other three division teams have a total of 24 players on reserve lists, only three more than the Cardinals. But, sure, all teams deal with injuries. Just not at the same numbers. And that matters.

Fox analyst Mark Schlereth mentioned several times during last Sunday’s broadcast that when there are as many injuries as the Cardinals have, it affects backups and new players being able to master their assignment details on a consistent basis. All it takes is one missed assignment on a play for a bad result to happen.

Schlereth repeated that during an appearance Wednesday morning on ArizonaSports 98.7 by affirming that it’s virtually impossible for a team to play consistent football, especially at critical points in games, with as many injuries as they’ve experienced.

It’s one thing for close-minded fans to ignore my analysis and spout meaningless cliches. It’s another to ignore those close to the game and who have coached or played it like Schlereth.

He also relayed an interesting conversation he had with Michael Bidwill prior to the game in which the owner mentioned to him the 90-player rule that prevented the Cardinals from adding players from the outside because they were locked at the 90-man limit. They got under it by waiving defensive lineman Justin Jones on Wednesday.

But Bidwill is obviously acutely aware of what has befallen the team this season and made sure Schlereth was aware.

The detail and assignment issue is highlighted when the Cardinals have a large group of players that can’t practice, a number that has increased in the second half of the season. Twice in the last few weeks, including this week, they have had a walkthrough on Wednesday thanks to the shortage of players.

So, yes, as the one-track-mind crowd points out, coaching matters. However, there’s only so much coaches can do when the cast is constantly changing each week and roles often change during practice prep and in games. Next-man-up is blindly said frequently, but there is a reason many players are backups. And when there are too many on the field a lot, it’s a recipe for disaster.

I recall a conversation I had with Jonathan Gannon not long after he was hired, and I mentioned how the Cardinals had experienced massive injuries the season before in 2022. I noted how healthy the Eagles were that season when they advanced to the Super Bowl. Gannon quickly mentioned that the Eagles had the same 22 starters in that game as they had in Week 1.

The Cardinals? Not even close. Of the 22 starters in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, nine are on injured reserve or out this week.

On offense, of the 14 players that participated in at least 30 percent of the snaps, eight are out with five on injured reserve. Of the 17 players that were on the field for at least 33 percent of the defensive snaps, two are on injured reserve with another two out and one questionable. Cornerback Garrett Williams missed five games earlier this season while on IR before being activated.

Cornerbacks Star Thomas V and Sean Murphy-Bunting were placed on IR before the season started. Defensive lineman Walter Nolen III has missed nine games, cornerbacks Max Melton and Will Johnson six and five, respectively, safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson five.

Then there’s Mike linebacker Mack Wilson Sr., who began his stint on IR after the win over the Dallas Cowboys game and has been out for each game in the current losing streak. Despite missing those games, Wilson is still fourth on the team with 60 tackles and tied for third with 34 solos.

Consider this: In the week before the Cowboys game, the Cardinals had eight players on the injury report and none not practicing (DNP). Since then:

Week 10: 10 with 8 DNPsWeek 11: 16, 19 DNPsWeek 12: 13, 18 DNPsWeek 13: 15, 18 DNPsWeek 14: 11, 20 DNPsWeek 15: 14, 22 DNPsThis week: 15, 19 DNPs

Finally, there is this stunning stat: Since safety and special teams captain Joey Blount was placed on injured reserve after the first game of the season, there has been only one week following a game in which no one was placed on IR. And that was the bye week after the game against the Packers.

Here are the number of days between Cardinals players going on IR since the week after the season opener: 7, 6, 8, 7, 3, 4, *21, 7, 3, 6, 8, 7, 7, 3. The 21 was between Oct. 15 and Nov. 5, the time during the bye week and the week afterward.

Unlike the 49ers, the Cardinals injuries have grown as the season progressed, making it even more challenging for a late-season turnaround thanks to a schedule that featured no games against teams with a losing record in the last six. The combined current record of the teams they’ve played in the six-game losing streak is 59-27.

They will likely end the season with a top-three opponent strength of schedule helped by the current combined record of 33-11 for the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers where three of the recent blowouts occurred. The only teams with losing records they’ve played all season are New Orleans, Dallas and Tennessee. The seven losses by four points or less have been against teams with a combined record of 58-40-1 and 56-28-1 aside from the Titans.

Spelling it out for those who believe facts are important (and for the skeptics who might miraculously or at least grudgingly accept that it is a factor), here is a timeline of the reserve injury trips dating back to the offseason:

Cardinals player trips to IR

MAY 22

CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (NFI)

JULY 27

CB Star Thomas V

AUGUST 3

T Valentin Senn

AUGUST 26

C/G Hayden Conner (activated Nov. 29), T Christian Jones (activated Dec. 13), DL Bilal Nichols (PUP, activated Oct. 4), DL Walter Nolen III (PUP, activated Nov. 3), LB BJ Ojulari (PUP, activated Nov. 15), LB J.J. Russell

AUGUST 28

DL Justin Jones (waived Dec. 17)

SEPTEMBER 10

S Joey Blount

SEPTEMBER 17

DL L.J. Collier (practicing), CB Garrett Williams (activated Nov. 3)

SEPTEMBER 23

RB James Conner

OCTOBER 1

RB Trey Benson

OCTOBER 8

TE Tip Reiman

OCTOBER 11

P Blake Gillikin

OCTOBER 15

TE Travis Vokolek

NOVEMBER 5

QB Kyler Murray

NOVEMBER 12

WR Simi Fehoko, WR Zay Jones

NOVEMBER 15

LB Mack Wilson Sr.

NOVEMBER 21

T Jonah Williams

NOVEMBER 29

G Will Hernandez

DECEMBER 6

WR/RS Greg Dortch

DECEMBER 13

DL Bilal Nichols

DECEMBER 16

WR Andre Baccellia, RB Bam Knight

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