Thoughts & Jots: From the Cardinals’ final cuts to the practice squad to Kedon Slovis

The last two days went pretty quickly for the Arizona Cardinals, their coaching staff, plus the front office. After their final preseason game, the Cardinals’ GM Monti Ossenfort had plenty of decisions to make.

But here is the thing: a lot of these decisions had nothing to do with the preseason games. Why? None of the Cardinals players faced the starting offensive and defensive units of any of the 31 NFL clubs. How is an evaluation done for any player who dominates against another team’s second team? The answer comes from practice sessions against a first-string offense and defense.

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Here are some things on my mind regarding the last few days.

1. First, let’s get to the elephant in the room: Seven receivers? It was crazy that so many had a tremendous preseason, namely Simi Fehoko, Jalen Brooks, and the rookie Reggie Virgil. Apparently, the Cardinals coaching staff couldn’t make a decision on which to cut, so they kept them all.

To be fair, keeping Devin Duvernay was expected since he is the team’s designated returner in both punts and kickoffs. But most teams that keep a receiver who is also a return man only retain six in this room. Arizona is keeping seven. That means they dumped a guy who they may need in another group.  

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2. The act of releasing B.J. Ojulari was not exactly a shock, but yes, it was. After all, the franchise spent a second-round pick on him back in 2023. Every team expects at least four years with every guy they draft in the first four rounds.

Even though he gave it a gallant effort in this year’s training camp, he just hasn’t been the same athlete since his ACL injury from last year. He showed some flashes in preseason games, but keep in mind that was against the other team’s second-string offense. The crazy part about his release is that the Cardinals need a second pass rusher opposite Josh Sweat. So, it’s not like he wasn’t in a position of need. It was.

3. What to do with RB James Conner was creative. He was placed on IR with a return designation, which means they are putting off how to keep him, as well as Bam Knight. Conner will miss the first four weeks of the season at a minimum. And then?

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4. Defensive back depth seemed to be an issue in the final days of training camp. As long as the starting group of the big four – Will Johnson, Max Melton, Garrett Williams, and Denzel Burke – remain healthy, and that’s a big “if”, this group will do good things. The NFC West is full of great receivers and even better quarterbacks, so the cornerbacks will need to ball out and stay off any injury list.

But their backups had plenty of issues. While playing second-team defense against their opponent’s second-team defense in preseason, the advantage each game was to the other team. Too many plays out of position, or taking shoulder dips that ended up being fooled on good routes. So, when Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas were released, did anyone shout their displeasure? Or perhaps say out loud, “About time.”

Thomas had two seasons of starting experience, but last year’s ACL injury sidelined him. Murphy-Bunting restructured his contract to remain with the team, now being featured in the slot. Both needed to show out, and didn’t. As a key backup, Kei’Trel Clark looked better and has great recovery speed.

5.  OG Matt Pryor being cut wasn’t what I expected at all. Not that he has starter written all over him, but he was a good resource in the event of an injury along the offensive line. He can play four positions, so the versatility is there and was going to provide insurance. Did he play well in the preseason with the second-string offense? Not really.

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He was signed in free agency, and the Philadelphia Eagles fans couldn’t wait to see him go. Pryor does have some weight maintenance issues and can struggle with arm-over specialists while playing guard. And who is listed as the backup right guard behind Isaiah Adams on the depth chart? Well, not a soul. At least Pryor is now on the practice squad and can be recalled at any point.

6. Ossenfort worked out a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for tight end Hunter Long, who is a big dude at 6′-5″, 243 pounds. But don’t expect his size to instantly become a red-zone target. He hasn’t been to date. He is strictly a skinny offensive lineman, meaning a tight end who can block. He has been in the league for five years and has caught just 20 balls for 153 yards. But his blocking stats are ideal for Mike LaFleur’s offense when they are in 12 or 13 personnel.

Trey McBride and Elijah Higgins will handle the receptions. When Long comes into a game, it is strictly to move the chains with another good run. No telling when Tip Reiman will return.

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7. Two offensive linemen who benefited during camp were backup center Jon Gaines and backup tackle Josh Fryar. Each player showed they are ready for starting roles, although neither is situated as such. Just yet. Gaines played quite a bit of offensive guard and looked natural there. The few plays he pulled, he attacked just like it was drawn up, taking on the first player he interacted with, regardless of whether it was the man he was supposed to block. A lot of times, guys will zone in on a player when they pull because that is what the diagram said would happen. But guys filter through, and with Gaines, he could improvise.

Fryar has shown quite a bit of development. He appeared in 12 games with five starts during his 2025 rookie campaign, filling in effectively late in the year. He is able to handle speedier edge rushers mainly because of his arm length, which has allowed him to get a hand on his defender first. He is a name to watch, although he is the primary backup at RT behind Elijah Wilkinson. Both players have solidified the backup positions along the offensive line. What a huge plus to have quality guys waiting.

8. The Cardinals kept three quarterbacks on their final list. That was expected. But what hasn’t been expected is that QB Kedon Slovis has not been signed to the practice squad after the team has signed 14. Why? That has just been assumed all during training camp: keep three, stash away one. Did Ossenfort just not make the call, or did he contact his agent, and Slovis wants to keep shopping for a place where he might have a better chance of landing on the main roster? Because right now, as long as the injury bug doesn’t affect the Cardinals’ QB room, Slovis would most likely sit on the PS all year. It became apparent to Slovis when Carson Beck balled out in the Hall of Fame Game.

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9. Okay, look at your Cardinals bingo card and see if you had safety Wydett Williams, Jr. (6′-2″, 200 pounds) on it, because this undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss made the final roster. I had to look up who this cat was. One thing he is? A hitter.

He had 73 tackles last year and 99 the season before with Louisiana-Monroe. Other defenders who showed up have been rookie LB Karson Sharar, LB Owen Pappoe, and LB Eku Leota. Pappoe being cut was a surprise, and the Titans then grabbed him. He had 10 tackles in the Cowboys game. Williams had seven tackles right out of the gate in the Hall of Fame Game, and from there his numbers were good. Rallis likes to throw out there some three-safety sets, so that is why the roster kept five safeties.

10. I, for one, am looking forward to this offense. I believe that if the defense can contain to a degree, this offense can do a lot of damage.

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Jacoby Brissett is not only a veteran, but he rarely gets injured, and under him, the Cardinals’ offense was a different animal despite the 1-10-0 record under Brissett last year. He isn’t a superstar by any means, but he can handle an offense and is a good thrower.

Love the receiver group. The key will be whether Marv Harrison can rebound and become the elite prospect he once was. Michael Wilson is a star in waiting. The jury is still out on how Kendrick Bourne will produce, but the stable is full behind the starters with the rookie Reggie Virgil, Simi Fehoko, and the darling of the preseason, Jalen Brooks. This will be an exciting group to watch each week.

We all know what to expect from TE Trey McBride, and Elijah Wiggins is going to surprise a ton of folks with the number of targets he will get this year.

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The Wild Card? This offensive line. I am anxious to see how they perform against a stellar defensive line. Ossenfort spent a lot of time and effort to get this group right, so we will see. The backups are capable because every year, attrition creeps into the offensive line room. We have already seen this with the loss of rookie Chase Bisontis. If this O-Line can compete and gel as one group, this Cardinals’ offense will be a force.

The concern is that the defense, with the exception of adding S Andrew Wingard and DT Roy Lopez, is essentially the same as last year. This means it could become Ossenfort’s project for 2027.