The Cardinals took Virgil in the fifth round this spring, 143rd overall, adding another tall wideout behind returning starters Marvin Harrison and Michael Wilson. On paper, there's not a ton to like, with Virgil running a 4.57 40 at the 2026 NFL Combine despite being one of the thinnest wideouts (6-foot-3, 187) in his draft class (or any other). He put up solid numbers at Miami (OH) and Texas Tech the past two years -- receiving lines of 41-816-9 and 57-705-6 -- but both teams had another WR with slightly more target volume. Of course, the Cardinals won't be counting on Virgil to dominate targets, and his extensive experience on special teams is a positive for sticking around as depth (relative to other thin WRs who may not even get a shot there). If things really go well this summer, Virgil might even get a shot at challenging Kendrick Bourne for the No. 3 receiver role, rather than training as a backup to Wilson/Harrison and playing special teams
Carson Beck has played in much bigger games than the Hall of Fame Game, so it probably should come as no surprise that the lights weren’t too bright or the stage too big. Beck started for the Cardinals in the first preseason game of the NFL season. He showed up and showed out. Beck played a little more than a half, completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. He hit Reggie Virgil for what would have been a big gain on his final throw of the night in the third quarter, but Isaiah Simmons knocked it out. He directed scoring drives of 96, 50 and 61 yards, throwing a 5-yard fade to a well-covered Simi Fehoko for a touchdown on the team’s second scoring drive. The Cardinals were tied with the Panthers 17-17 when Beck left with 10:15 remaining in the third quarter. Fourth-stringer Kedon Slovis replaced Beck
The NFL is suspending Arizona Cardinals director of college scouting Ryan Gold indefinitely for violating the league's gambling policy, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones confirms . After an investigation, the NFL revealed that Gold had given insider, non-public information regarding the team's 2026 draft picks. The investigation shows the information was revealed before the Cardinals announced the picks. Gold was also found to place parlay bets on NFL and college games. He has the right to appeal. The league released a statement, noting that it doesn't believe any game was affected by Gold's actions but that it takes violations of the gambling policy seriously. "The Gambling Policy, which is annually reviewed with all NFL personnel, strictly prohibits anyone in the NFL from participating in or facilitating any form of sports gambling, and from providing third parties non-public information," the league said in a statement. "Although there is no reason to believe the integrity of any NFL game was affected, the League takes any violation of the Gambling Policy with the utmost seriousness." The Cardinals also issued a statement, explaining that the accusations only point to one employee and that the focus of the upcoming season remains top of mind. "The NFL's policies and expectations for all employees are clear, comprehensive, and consistently communicated. We fully support the league's decision in this matter, which involves a single employee. Our focus remains on preparing for the start of training camp next week and the 2026 season," the Cardinals statement said. In April's draft, the Cardinals selected Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick, Texas A&M guard Chase Bisonti in the second round, Miami quarterback Carson Beck in the third round, Southeastern Louisiana defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor in the fourth and Texas Tech wide receiver Reggie Virgil in the fifth round. Their last two draft picks of 2026 were Iowa linebacker Karson Sharar in the sixth and Mississippi offensive tackle Jayden Williams in the seventh round. According to Jones, this is the first public gambling-related punishment in the league since 2023. Gold is in his second season as director of college scouting and his 13th season overall with Arizona. He was promoted ahead of the 2025 season after serving as the assistant director of college scouting. The Cardinals open their regular season on Sept. 13 against the Chargers in L.A
The Arizona Cardinals had a very good draft this year. By taking RB Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick, all the tools that incoming head coach Mike LaFleur needs for his new offensive scheme are in place. LaFleur is an offensive coach and had particular requirements going into free agency and April’s draft. RELATED: ESPN RANKS CARDINALS #6 IN OFFENSIVE WEAPONS If you haven’t noticed, the Cardinals are stacked with offensive personnel. ESPN only brought that to everyone’s attention. Now, how will the changes alter the course of this year’s schedule and ultimately the win-loss column? WRs Kendrick Bourne and Devin Duvernay were signed in free agency, while another receiver, Reggie Virgil, was drafted out of Texas Tech. These will be melded with Michael Wilson , Marv Harrison, and Simi Fehoko . Of course, Arizona employs one of the best tight ends in the league with Trey McBride . But LaFleur’s offense needed some vagaries. Alterations. Modifications. Changes. Editor’s note: We had to look up “vagaries.” We just look smart. It all began with the offensive line. It had several issues. Right tackle was a particular problem. So were both offensive guard spots. Later, when LT Paris Johnson became injured, Kelvin Beachum was inserted. Ick. It’s no big secret why he is still unemployed. Both left and right guards were “no good.” Will Hernandez was supposed to start at right guard after returning to the roster, but he began the season on the PUP list as he got back to playing shape. Which seemed to be okay, because Isaiah Adams was the darling of the preseason and training camp and appeared to sew up the starting position. The plan was for Adams to be the starter at right guard and Evan Brown to be at the left guard spot until Hernandez was healthy, and then get him on the practice field and see where he was at physically. Adams started in Week 1. But it soon became clear that Adams played really well against other teams’ second and third string guys, but struggled when the big boys suited up. He was bull rushed easily and had an issue remaining engaged with his defender. It was just a few short seasons ago that Brown was an asset to the O-Line. But this past season, early on, he looked overwhelmed, and his on-field performance declined quite a bit. Brown was ranked the 61st-best guard out of 81 eligible players. He had family issues that needed his complete focus, but his play was just sub-par. When Hernandez returned and was ready to play, he supplanted Adams in Week 5, and it was deemed better late than never with the hope that the offensive line could recover. However, his comeback was cut short. He was placed on IR with hip and knee injuries on November 29. Adams was thrown back into the starting right guard position with an opportunity to show what he had learned since the beginning of the year and finish the season in the same role. With both guards playing poorly, Johnson and Williams were out at the tackle spots listed on IR. The offensive line was a combination of second-stringers and practice squad guys. At season’s end, this group was ranked #26. That’s out of 32 for anyone scoring at home. After losing 14 games, it was evident that the head coach and the majority of his coaching staff were headed for the unemployment line. LaFleur and his new OC, Nathaniel Hackett, took a looksy at the offensive line situation and highlighted several changes to be made. Center? Good. Left tackle? Check. Ummm…. Yeah, it was that bad. The offense will only go as far as the offensive line will take them. That is a known fact. It’s more than just being big. It’s greater than being a stud in college football. The NFL is a completely different level, and offensive linemen take a while to grow into their positions. Defensive tackles are bigger and, over time, develop girth. Defensive ends are quicker with a great first step. In college, some of these guys saw maybe three defenders that they struggled with. In the NFL, t
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