A look at what’s important from the Cardinals’ preseason win over the Raiders
The Arizona Republic’s Theo Mackie breaks down the Arizona Cardinals’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders in their preseason finale.
Cardinals guard Will Hernandez returned to practice after an ACL tear, but his Week 1 status is uncertain.First-round pick Walter Nolen remains on the PUP list and will miss at least the first four games.
For the first time since his torn ACL last October, guard Will Hernandez was back at Cardinals practice on Wednesday, Aug. 27. That does not necessarily mean that he’ll be ready to be active in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, but it’s a crucial step in his return-to-play process.
Even if Hernandez is not ready for Week 1, the importance of these practices played into the Cardinals’ thinking when they activated him from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of roster cuts.
“You’ve kinda gotta forecast a little bit, when you think he’s gonna be ready to practice, when you think he’s gonna be ready to play, what makes the most sense with a guy like that,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said.
On the flip side, the Cardinals left first-round pick Walter Nolen on the PUP list, meaning Nolen cannot practice until after Week 4.
In his news conference after cut day, Gannon said that Nolen has been putting in extra hours with defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere to ensure that he’s “mentally caught up” when he returns. Still, Gannon acknowledged the challenge that an early injury poses for a rookie.
“There’s gonna be a learning curve with him cause he’s missed a lot of ball here now,” Gannon said. “But he’s taking it one day at a time and his attitude is right. I know he’s a little bit down but he’s positive and attacking his recovery and rehab.”
Cardinals’ Gannon underscores roster fluidity
The process of creating an NFL roster does not end on cut day, when teams trim their 90-man training camp squads down to just 53 players. It’s an annual reminder from Gannon to reporters this time of year.
“The roster, just like all other 32 teams, is very fluid, especially the first week or two,” he said. “So it’s probably not going to look the same as it does right now in a couple days or even going into Week 1.”
Those dominoes began to fall shortly after Gannon’s news conference. The Cardinals announced the first round of 13 players that they are bringing back to the practice squad.
That list is as follows:
WR Andre Baccellia
WR Tejhaun Palmer
RB Michael Carter
TE Josiah Deguara
WR Simi Fehoko
OL Jeremiah Byers
OL Jake Curhan
OL Sincere Haynesworth
OL Nick Leverett
DT Elijah Simmons
DT Anthony Goodlow
LB Elliott Brown
CB Darren Hall
Those moves leave the Cardinals with three open spots on the practice squad. They could open up an extra spot if they sign a player who is eligible for the international pathway program.
The most notable hole, for now, is the absence of a third quarterback. Clayton Tune, their backup over the past two seasons, signed with the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad.
Running back DeeJay Dallas, another presence on last year’s roster, signed with the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad. The Cardinals also lost cornerback Jaylon Jones, who was their only released player to be claimed by another team on waivers. He landed with the Chicago Bears.
Gannon said that the most important aspect of constructing a practice squad is “how it relates to what numbers we have at that position.” The second aspect is what role a player would have if they get elevated on game day. The third aspect is player development.
“If we think a guy is just not quite ready but we want to work with him and see where it can go,” Gannon said. “We try to balance those three buckets of how you compose the practice squad.”
That last aspect applies to a few notable players in this year’s group. Palmer was a Cardinals sixth-round selection in 2024 but has struggled with drops. Byers was an undrafted free agent at offensive tackle who earned praise throughout training camp. And Simmons is a big-bodied defensive tackle who became a niche fan favorite over the summer.
Why surprise inclusions made Cardinals’ roster
When the Cardinals roster was announced, there were a handful of surprise inclusions.
The most notable was running back Zonovan Knight, who made the roster over DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter.
“He’s a good runner (and) I like where he’s at on fourth down,” Gannon said.
The implication: Knight could have a role as a return man, which is where Dallas excelled. He returned only one kick in preseason, though, taking a kickoff back 27 yards.
While Knight was the most surprising inclusion, wide receiver Simi Fehoko was the most surprising exclusion. Gannon made it sound as if his confidence in former undrafted free agent receiver Xavier Weaver played a role in the decision to release Fehoko, who was brought back to the practice squad.
“If you’re in that four or five slot, you’ve gotta be able to play both (outside and in the slot),” Gannon said. “… And (Weaver) has an element of, he’s fast. He’s a fast guy. And those guys don’t grow on trees. He can get open and catch it, and he can run by you.”
Another intriguing inclusion — though one that had been telegraphed throughout training camp — was undrafted free agent offensive tackle Josh Fryar. Gannon said Fryar began standing out as early as OTAs in May.
“Just mentally, what we ask those guys to do, it was never too big for him,” Gannon said. “He never really got sped up with pre-snap rules and assignments, things like that. And then he goes out and blocks his guy.”