The Arizona Cardinals weren’t buyers or sellers at the NFL trade deadline. They simply stood pat, and life – and the schedule – moved along.
It was assumed that at least two Cardinals players would be shipped off to new homes, but that never happened.
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So, after the trade deadline, there was plenty of activity with the franchise.
Roster moves
The big news is that the Cardinals announced they had placed QB Gardner Minshew on IR. There was some question as to whether
Minshew would need to be placed on IR, or if his torn UCL in his throwing arm wasn’t as serious as first thought. But it was. The word is that it could be season-ending, but that has not been confirmed.
Arizona also placed WR Michael Wilson officially on IR as expected. He injured his neck on the fourth offensive play during last week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. But get this: He played the entire game. One word: Ironman.
Obviously, both of these injuries are crippling events for the offense. This side of the ball is already without OT Paris Johnson, WRs Jalen Brooks and Kendrick Bourne, OG Chase Bisontis, RBs Jeremiyah Love and James Conner, and TE Tip Reiman.
The only other roster move is that WR Phillip Dorsett was signed to the practice squad.
Dorsett (5’-10”, 185 pounds) was a beast in college at Miami, where he was clocked at 4.33 in the 40. As a senior, he led the conference in average yards per catch (24.2) and touchdowns (10). He was drafted 29th overall in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, but after two seasons, he was traded to the New England Patriots for QB Jacoby Brissett.
Arizona is his 10th NFL club. Now age 33, Dorsett has been signed to six different practice squads. He did not appear in any regular-season NFL games in 2024, 2025, or this year. Obviously, the receiver position is a need for the Cardinals. Dorsett joins WR Shedrick Jackson and WR/KR James Proche on the practice squad.
Center Hjalte Froholdt is on concussion protocol from the Seahawks game. That usually takes 10 days to get clearance, which most likely means he won’t be available for the home contest this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams. The depth chart lists Kingsley Eguakun as his backup. He has played in seven NFL games with two starts.
Workout news
On Tuesday, while the league was swirling with trade news, the Cardinals worked out five players:
- QB Cooper Rush, age 32
- QB Trevor Siemian, age 34
- WR Phillip Dorsett, age 33
- WR Malick Meiga, age 25
- WR Eli Pancol, age 26
At one time, Rush (6’-3”, 224 pounds) was considered the heir apparent to the starting quarterback position with the Dallas Cowboys. This is his ninth NFL season, and he has been a member of three NFL clubs. He has played in 44 games with 18 starts, thrown for 3,995 yards with a 60.8% completion ratio, and thrown 21 TDs to 18 picks. He appeared in two games for the Atlanta Falcons this year before being released on October 19.
Siemian (6’-3”, 220 pounds) is a former seventh-round selection of the Denver Broncos who eventually became the starter in his second year after Peyton Manning retired. He ended up on IR after Week 15, and then was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round pick, but never played backing up Kirk Cousins. He ended up on three other NFL rosters. He was placed on two practice squads in 2023 and 2024, and hasn’t played a single down since the 2023 season.
Meiga (6’-4”, 201 pounds) played for Coastal Carolina with a 16.7 average yards per reception and went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. He signed with the Seahawks and then the Carolina Panthers. He is Canadian-born. Meiga has not appeared in any regular-season games.
Pancol (6’-3”, 205 pounds) went undrafted in 2025 after a good career at Duke. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and was waived in August with an injury designation as part of final roster cuts. He then signed with the Indianapolis Colts, who placed him on their practice squad but he was not re-signed for 2026. He was placed on the practice squad of the Denver Broncos on October 27, then waived on November 3. He has not appeared in any regular-season games.
Out of the five, Dorsett was the only player signed to a deal. Often, teams bring in guys to update their free agent database in the event a player (or two) becomes injured, but in this case, both the quarterback and receiver positions were recently hit with the injury bug, so talent was brought in for a closer look.
Bonus news
At the movies, sometimes there is a short little blurb right after the credits have ended. Every CG cartoon has one, as do the horror and superhero flicks. So, this is our blurb for those who are still reading.
RB Dameon Pierce was a fourth-round draft pick of the Houston Texans back in 2022 and became a Pro Bowl alternate that same year. His highlight was a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 2023. After his four-year rookie contract expired in 2025, the Texans decided to keep Nick Chubb instead. Pierce was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs to their practice squad and then was elevated to the main roster in late December.
In free agency this year, he signed a one-year $1.29 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, but was a last-day cut and then signed to their practice squad. Before Week 6, Pierce was elevated to the main roster. He suffered a hamstring injury, and Philly released him with an injury settlement.
He is now a free agent. Seven teams have reached out to his agent: San Francisco, Miami, Tennessee, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Carolina, and the Cardinals.
Arizona has three running backs on its active roster: Tyler Allgeier, Bam Knight, and Evan Hull, plus veteran Jerome Ford on the practice squad. They are expecting James Conner to return at some point.
What does this mean for the team to go fishing on Pierce? Knight has had some injury issues, but with the availability of Ford, why the looksy? Does this indicate that the team doesn’t have any confidence in Conner’s return this season? Hmmm……
