The Cardinals are trading Isaiah Simmons to the Giants for a seventh-round pick. That marks a steep fall for the former first-round pick who is in just his fourth season, the final on his rookie contract. Arizona moved Simmons from LB to safety this offseason but clearly wasn't satisfied with him in the new role. We'll see whether Simmons can carve out a meaningful role with his new team, but odds stand against him rebuilding IDP value.
ESPN's Josh Weinfuss reports that the Cardinals have added bonus money and incentives to S Budda Baker's contract. The veteran requested a trade in the offseason. This pay increase should solve any lingering issues for 2023. His deal runs through 2024 but doesn't appear to have any guaranteed money left in that final season. We'll see whether this is Baker's final year in Arizona.
The Cardinals are hiring former Titans executive Monti Ossenfort as GM, according to NFL Network. Ossenfort most recently worked under recently fired Tennessee GM Jon Robinson and interviewed for that position before this announcement. He joined the Titans as director of player personnel in 2020 after 14 years with the Patriots and stints with the Texans and Vikings. In Arizona, he takes over for Steve Keim, who resigned to focus on his health. Ossenfort will now join the already-running search to replace HC Kliff Kingsbury and rebound a franchise that made the playoffs in 2021. The Cardinals finished this season 4-13 and in last place in the NFC West.
The Arizona Cardinals have fired HC Kliff Kingsbury. He went 28-37-1 across 4 NFL seasons that included 1 playoff trip: last year's loss to the Rams in the Wild Card round. The Cardinals sank to 4th in the division this season with a 4-13 record. Worse for fantasy football purposes, the offense sank from 8th in yards and 11th in points to 22nd and 21st, respectively, the worst marks of Kingsbury's stint in each category. QB Kyler Murray's Week 14 ACL tear didn't help, but his performance also fell way off vs. the previous 2 seasons before that. Kingsbury looked like a questionable choice from the start after a 6-year run as Texas Tech's HC that included a 35-40 overall record and just 2 seasons of .500 or better -- despite having 3 years of Patrick Mahomes at QB. We'll see about Arizona's next move, as well as Murray's recovery. The franchise will also be replacing GM Steve Keim, who announced Monday that he's stepping away to "focus on his health."
Cardinals DE J.J. Watt announced Tuesday morning that he'll be retiring at the end of this season. That will end a 12-year career that included 5 All-Pro selections, 3 Associated Press defensive player of the year honors and a spot on the Hall of Fame's All-2010s team. We'll see how Arizona replaces him for 2023 after what's been a strong rebound season for Watt.
Cardinals S Budda Baker suffered a shoulder fracture in Sunday night's OT loss to the Buccaneers, according to multiple reports. He managed to play through the injury in the game but will miss the team's final 2 contests. Veteran S Chris Banjo is likely to take Baker's place next to Jalen Thompson in the lineup.
Cardinals DL Zach Allen left Monday night's game (who didn't?) against the Patriots with a hand injury. We'll keep an eye on his status this week for IDP lineups. Allen delivered a sack and a pass deflection before leaving. It was his 2nd game in a row with 1 of each. Allen has 10 QB hits over his past 5 games. Denver presents an upside Week 15 matchup if Allen is ready.
Cardinals DL Zach Allen (illness) is active for tonight's game against the Patriots. He was added to the injury report over the weekend but appears good to go.
Cardinals S Budda Baker (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams -- and sounds highly questionable at that. HC Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that he had been told early in the week that there was a "zero percent" chance Baker would play. The safety managed a limited practice Friday after missing the previous 2 days. Kingsbury said the team would be "really smart" in deciding whether to play him. We'll see about his status Sunday, but it doesn't seem as though you should plan to have Baker available for IDP lineups.
Cardinals S Budda Baker suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks and will miss at least 1 game. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says the team hopes to get him back in 2-3 weeks. Arizona has just 3 more games before its Week 13 bye. We'll see about Baker's status heading into the Week 11 home date with the 49ers. For this week, Chris Banjo is the next man up at safety. LB-DB hybrid Isaiah Simmons might factor into the replacement plan as well.
Cardinals S Budda Baker (ankle) is active for today's game against the Seahawks.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that S Buddy Baker (ankle) will be a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Seahawks. He missed the 1st 2 days of practice before returning for a limited Friday workout. The 4:05 p.m. ET kick will make it difficult to wait for Baker in IDP lineups, so make sure you have an insurance option if that's your plan.
Cardinals CB Byron Murphy (back) is active for today's game against the Vikings.
Cardinals S Jalen Thompson (hamsteing) is active for tonight’s game against the Saints
Cardinals S Jalen Thompson (knee) is questionable for tonight's game against the Saints. He put in limited practices the past 2 days after opening the week as a non-participant. We haven't read anything about specific worries regarding Thompson's knee, and he played 100% of the snaps in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. So we'll bet on the veteran playing but will check his status when inactive come out around 7 p.m. ET.
Cardinals LB Zaven Collins (shoulder) and DE J.J. Watt (calf) are questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers. Collins managed limited practices all week. Watt sat out Wednesday and Thursday before returning to a limited Friday workout. We'll check the status of both players Sunday.
Cardinals LB Zaven Collins left Sunday's game against the Rams with a shoulder injury. We'll see about the severity. Collins has spent the past 2 games wearing the green dot on his helmet, meaning he calls the defensive plays.
Cardinals S Jalen Thompson (toe) and DE J.J. Watt (calf) are active for today's game against the Raiders. It'll be Watt's season debut, making him a risky option. Thompson should be fine to use as planned, though we'll see whether he's limited at all.
Cardinals DE J.J. Watt (calf) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Raiders. He practiced Thursday for the 1st time since training camp. That, however, fell between a missed practice Wednesday and a limited Friday. He'll make for a risky IDP option even if active Sunday.
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