The Cardinals placed left tackle Paris Johnson and linebacker Josh Sweat on the physically unable to perform list on Thursday, but head coach Mike LaFleur didn’t make it sound like either player is going to miss much time during training camp. LaFleur told reporters that both players are dealing with knee issues and that the Cardinals will “be smart” with them at this point in the calendar. The Cardinals will practice the next four days before taking Monday off and neither player will practice before that rest day, but LaFleur suggested they won’t be out much longer. “The Paris thing, that is honestly nothing ,” LaFleur said, via the team’s website. “It’s really just maintenance. He’ll be back before you know it. Same thing with Josh. Seeing him, he’s fired up to be here. He’s in great spirits and feeling good.” The Cardinals also placed cornerback Garrett Williams (Achilles) and tight end Tip Reiman (ankle) on the PUP list to open camp
The Cardinals placed left tackle Paris Johnson and linebacker Josh Sweat on the physically unable to perform list on Thursday, but head coach Mike LaFleur didn't make it sound like either player is going to miss much time during training camp. LaFleur told reporters that both players are dealing with knee issues and that the Cardinals will "be smart" with them at this point in the calendar. The Cardinals will practice the next four days before taking Monday off and neither player will practice before that rest day, but LaFleur suggested they won't be out much longer. "The Paris thing, that is honestly nothing ," LaFleur said, via the team's website. "It's really just maintenance. He'll be back before you know it. Same thing with Josh. Seeing him, he's fired up to be here. He's in great spirits and feeling good." The Cardinals also placed cornerback Garrett Williams (Achilles) and tight end Tip Reiman (ankle) on the PUP list to open camp
The Cardinals added four players to their physically unable to perform list on their first day of training camp. The NFL’s daily transaction report shows that left tackle Paris Johnson, linebacker Josh Sweat, cornerback Garrett Williams, and tight end Tip Reiman landed on the list. None of the players will be able to practice as long as they remain on it, but they count against the 90-man roster and can be activated at any point. Sweat was the subject of trade chatter this offseason and he skipped the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason work. He returned for mandatory minicamp, but did not participate in any on-field work. Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is scheduled to speak with reporters on Thursday afternoon and questions about the outlook for Sweat and the other players will likely be part of the discussion
The Arizona Cardinals have a lot of work to do in this year’s training camp. Very few NFL clubs are installing a new offense this year, but the Cardinals are. So, a lot of time and effort will be geared toward getting the scheme installed where everyone is on the same page. This is one thing that training camp is for. Plus, new veterans and rookies that haven’t been to the desert yet and need to become acclimated to the area, its climate, and the task at hand. RELATED: EXPECTATIONS FOR TIP REIMAN Now that training camp is on us, let’s look at the tight end room. This year’s group can’t just be Trey McBride and nothing else. There should be a lot of improvement with this group even though some members became injured, which is not their fault. But other players must step up and be productive and not just a jersey nameplate. There are seven tight ends in camp. New this year are Teagan Quitoriano from the Atlanta Falcons , former San Francisco 49er Kenny Yeboah , and undrafted rookie Jameson Geers. Cardinals’ TE depth chart Starting tight end: Trey McBride TE2: Tip Reiman TE3: Elijah Higgins TE4: Kenny Yeboah, Teagan Quitoriano, Rivaldo Fairweather , Jameson Geers McBride (6’-4”, 246 pounds) is a beast. The entire league knows what his skill set is. This new offense is predicated on the short passing game and running the ball. That falls right into McBride’s wheelhouse. He has gone from 104 targets to 111 and 169 last season. Marvin Harrison, Sr. has the record for the most targets in a single season with 205. If Vegas is putting a line on McBride breaking that plateau, take the over. 126 catches last year; take that a notch up to over 150 on his way to a First Team All-Pro nod. Truly, this Rams/49ers offense elevates the tight end position. Who is the highest-paid tight end? Hint: Plays for the Niners. Now comes the tricky part. This new offense needs a minimum of three good tight ends. That is mandatory. Tip Reiman (6’-5”, 271 pounds) hasn’t been used to catching the ball in college, but he is actually a very good receiver. In past offenses, he wasn’t thrown the ball, but in this new offense he can expect to gain 500-600 yards. And since he is just shy of being an offensive tackle as far as body size, he is an exceptional blocker. So, who comes next? Who takes the fourth and final roster spot for tight ends? There are five candidates, and training camp will reveal which two. This group can shine if the correct quarterback is found early enough. McBride is pretty durable, so that shouldn’t become an issue. If his backup and TE3 become injured, this offense will spit and sputter. Reiman had a horrible injury last year. Elijah Higgins (6’-3”, 245 pounds) is really a good play on his own. He could very well be paired with McBride with Reiman the third guy. But Higgins will need more than the 37 targets he received last year. Throw him the ball. He has good hands, but the knock on him is pretty huge. He doesn’t get separation from his linebacker or safety. The worst-case scenario this year is what happened last season: it was McBride, and basically nothing else with this group. This offense will live and die with the tight end room. This group will become the shining star of this new offense. Cardinals’ fans will soon know every tight end on the roster. A steady flow of short passes will become the tight end’s resume. This new offense doesn’t throw deep much, but the short passing game along with a steady run game will move the sticks into the Red Zone. Yards for stats won’t be generated in large chunks but in steady increments, which fits in the tight end wheelhouse tremendously. Higgins can be another huge receiving target in this offense. He is not huge like Reiman, but he has a large catch radius and can be a mismatch with a safety. His route running is sparse, and yes, he lacks top-end speed, but he knows how to get to the high point of the throw and has decent YAC numbers. Nobody is asking Higgins to be Mc
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Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur stated that cornerback Garrett Williams has a chance to play in Week 1, a significant improvement from the initial prognosis of a return in October or November following his torn Achilles injury. Williams is expected to participate in training camp
The Cardinals received "great news" on cornerback Garrett Williams ' recovery from a torn Achilles. "When I first got here . . . it was like an October/November [return], and now we're talking about getting into training camp and getting him going ," Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said, via Darren Urban of the team website. "He's put so much good work in. What a special human being he is, and what a really good player this defense was missing last year when he went down." Williams tore the Achilles in a Week 16 game against the Falcons, leaving uncertainty about how much of the 2026 season he would play. But LaFleur said "for sure" Williams has a chance to play Week 1. Running backs James Conner and Trey Benson , tight end Tip Reiman and defensive lineman Walter Nolen III will return during training camp
by Ari Koslow | Cardinals Correspondent | Tue, Jun 9th 10:17pm EDT Trey Benson was working off to the side during mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. ( Theo Mackie on Twitter ) Fantasy Impact: Benson was also working off to the side during OTAs. He'll likely be off the fantasy radar with the Cardinals offseason additions of Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier. Participation report from Cardinals mandatory minicamp: Didn’t see at all: -RB James Conner -DL Kaleb Proctor Street clothes: -CB Garrett Williams -S Kitan Crawford -TE Tip Reiman -DL Walter Nolen Working on side w/ trainers: -RB Trey Benson -LB Karson Sharar Category: Injury Updates | More Trey Benson : News , Rankings , Projections , Stats
The Arizona Cardinals opened their first Organized Team Activities (OTAs) of the offseason on May 18 at the Dignity Health Training Center in Tempe, Arizona. This event was labeled as voluntary, but every rostered player was urged and invited to attend. The most notable player absent was QB Jacoby Brissett , who has stated he wishes to be paid more for a starting NFL quarterback. At no time has Brissett informed the Cardinals that he is officially “holding out,” but so far, the franchise has had two workout events, and Brissett did not attend either. So, we will see. RELATED: BRISSETT AGAIN MISSING FROM VOLUNTARY WORKOUTS Some other players did not attend, including TE Tip Reiman , RB Trey Benson , LB Baron Browning , DE Josh Sweat , and OT Christian Jones . Players who did show up but did not participate in any drills included DT Walter Nolen , WR Starling Thomas , and RB James Conner . Brissett is his own agent, so his actions aren’t the result of someone guiding him. He came to the Cardinals before the 2025 season, signing a two-year deal with the idea that he was going to back up starting QB Kyler Murray . Which he did at first. Essentially, everywhere Brissett has played, he has been the quality backup. Meaning, if the starter became injured for a series or a game or a string of contests, Brissett was able to provide a capable signalcaller until the starter was able to return. Selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft by the New England Patriots , he backed up Jimmy Garoppolo for a year before being traded to the Indianapolis Colts . The Colts sold their fanbase on the notion that Brissett was going to become the team’s starting QB after QB Andrew Luck suffered an injury. And in that first season, he started 15 of 16 games. But over the years, he was in and out of the starting lineup, and after four seasons, he was allowed to test the free agent waters. Brissett then began his backup role with the Miami Dolphins , Cleveland Browns , Washington Commanders , and back with the Patriots before inking his deal with Arizona last year. That contract was for two years, which is not the usual for a primary backup QB agreement, whereas a single-year agreement is more common. Brissett was the right guy for the moment to be in a backup role with Arizona. The deal was for $12.5 million, which is decent for a backup position. But when Murray became injured and found IR his home for the remainder of 2025, it was Brissett who the team depended on. And when Mike LaFleur was hired as the new head coach of the Cardinals, it was Brissett that LaFleur chose as his starting QB going forward, as the franchise released Murray. And suddenly, the Cardinals had a starting quarterback with a salary of $6.25 million and a cap hit of just $9.19 million. That $6.25 million ranks #30 among quarterbacks. But in looking at the list of NFL quarterbacks, there are several non-starters listed that make more than Brissett, such as Marcus Mariota , Davis Mills , Anthony Richardson, and Deshaun Watson , not to mention the guys who are still under their rookie deals, who are paid more like Jayden Daniels , Bryce Young , Caleb Williams , and Drake Maye . The Cardinals and Brissett haven’t moved the needle on his contract re-work since a few weeks ago. When asked, LaFleur declined to discuss any new information about their conversations. During the OTAs, quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck took all snaps. Although Brissett has played a lot of football in his 10-year NFL career, there is a new head coach at the helm. And a new OC. Plus, a new system that has different verbiage and schemes. All of this simply can’t be accomplished by showing up in the 11 th hour and expecting everything to go smoothly. Not to mention a new starting running back, a new slot receiver, and at least two new starting offensive linemen, if not three. Brissett has already been named the Cardinals’ starting quarterback
