As the offseason is about to morph into training camp next month, GM Monti Ossenfort is tweaking the roster in order to get the best competition among the 90 players he is able to sign and have ready.
The new head coach, Mike LaFleur, and his coaching staff will have their work cut out for them, being new and having to install a brand-new offensive scheme. This year’s training camp is right around the corner and will begin earlier than other NFL clubs because the team is playing in the Hall of Fame
Game.
RELATED: FORMER CARDINALS IN THE UFL PLAYOFFS
It is not uncommon for Ossenfort to sign a new guy and release another. With any cut player from other clubs, the Cardinals own the #3 slot on the waiver wire.
The United Football League (UFL) is down to its championship game, the “United Bowl,” this Saturday, June 13, at 3:00 pm (Eastern), played at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The UFL has
eight teams’ worth of available players.
The Louisville Kings will square off against the league’s defending champions, the DC Defenders, and will be broadcast on ABC. The halftime performance will be Grammy Award-winning music icon 50 Cent.
UFL players participate in the league under one-year deals. On the Monday after the United Bowl, each athlete is available to be signed. The season is positioned to conclude in the middle of June so that players can be signed to NFL teams before their training camps begin in late July. This allows every UFL player the opportunity to advance their playing careers since the UFL is a developmental league and not an NFL rival entity.
Last year, 190 players were offered tryouts, and 160 signed training camp contracts. Of that number, 45 UFL players were either listed on an NFL team’s main roster, practice squad, or some sort of injury list.
Despite a full roster of 90 players signed to the current Cardinals’ roster, there are needs to be filled. The UFL has numerous healthy players who could help this team and provide some quality depth needed at crucial positions.
OT Yasir Durant – DC Defenders
6’-7”, 330 pounds
Age: 28
Pro experience: NFL – 19 games played with 2 starts; UFL – 33 games played with 33 starts
The Cardinals realistically need experience at backup offensive tackle. Durant has played both sides, so he could provide this easily. He has been named All-UFL two years in a row.
Durant began his college career at Arizona Western, a community college. He then transferred to Missouri. He had a draft grade of being taken in Rounds 3-4 but was not selected in the 2020 NFL draft. He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and, at the end of training camp, made their final roster. That season, Durant played in 11 games with one start.
After one season, the Chiefs traded him to the New England Patriots, and he was cut on the final cutdown. From there, the New Orleans Saints signed him to their practice squad. Later, he signed with the Denver Broncos but was released during training camp.
From there, he signed with the DC Defenders and played every game at tackle. He signed again to play for DC in 2025 and then again this year. He was named to the All-UFL Team in 2025 and 2026.
He has played both tackle and guard, so he has versatility. Durant’s frame is beefy, wide, and long. He can use his length for extended feel and contact with rushers. His hand placement is a bit weak, and he labors out of his stance and into skip pulls. At times, he will struggle to open his hips and recover around the top of the rush.
EDGE Cam Gill – Louisville Kings
6’-3”, 240 pounds
Age: 28
Pro experience: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL): 40 games played with 0 starts; Carolina Panthers (NFL) – 10 games played with 0 starts; Louisville Kings (UFL) – 11 games played with 11 starts
The Cardinals appear good at defensive tackle, but what about the right defensive end spot? The leftside is manned by Josh Sweat who had a great year last season. But the bookend pass rushing position seems to be lacking some burst.
That is Gill to a tee. He led the UFL in sacks with 10 during the regular season and made the 2026 All-UFL Team. 39 total tackles with 12 tackles for loss, which also led the league. He is one of those rare athletes who become a finalist for the league MVP title. His nickname is “The Quarterback Hunter.”
Gill has a non-stop motor. He has solid burst and leverage when attacking the offensive backfield. He is a bit light, but that is where his speed off the edge originates. He notably recorded a half-sack and forced fumble on Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV.
On June 12, Gill was named the 2026 “UFL Defensive Player of the Year.”
Yes, he does struggle a bit with really large offensive tackles, so he uses his speed and that quick first step to get halfway around his offensive counterpart. He could project to be a depth piece that would compete for a starting job or at least part of the defensive line rotation. Some NFL team is going to sign him once the UFL season has concluded; it might as well be Arizona.
K Matt McCrane – DC Defenders
5’-10”, 175 pounds
Age: 31
Pro experience: NFL – Raiders 3 games, Cardinals 1 game, Steelers 1 game; practice squad: Browns, Eagles, Lions – New York Guardians (XFL) 5 games played (pandemic suspended operations, 2020); DE Defenders (UFL) – 23 games played (2025, 2026)
McCrane was on the Defenders squad last year that won the league title, and now is back in the championship game. He is the only kicker in the UFL to have successfully connected on three 60-yard field goals, including one in the semifinal contest that sent DC to the title game.
What is strange about McCrane is that other NFL clubs have used him as a fill-in kicker, and he became the star of the game before being released. He was 3-for-3 on FGs and 1-for-1 on PATs for the Steelers, then was cut. With the Raiders, he kicked the game-winner in one game, yet was released. While with Arizona in 2018, he went 3-3 on PAT attempts and was waived the next day. In his rookie year, he was in Cardinals training camp, and many media outlets stated he outkicked veteran Phil Dawson and won the job.
Sensational year for DC. The UFL has a new rule this year where any successful field goal becomes four points. McCrane made national news on opening weekend when he nailed a 60-yarder in the first quarter for the league’s first four-point FG. He is money.
Are the Cardinals happy with kicker Chad Ryland? He was ranked #20 last year in field goals converted, as he made 25 of 33 for 75.8%, which ranked #30 in the NFL. Ryland was 6-9 on kicks of 50+ and 0-1 from 60+. Wouldn’t it be great when a drive stalls around midfield to trot out a guy like McCrane and add three points to the scoreboard? He is also an active tackler on kickoffs.
One word for McCrane: Weapon.
CB Kary Vincent, Jr. – Houston Gamblers
5’-10”, 185 pounds
Age: 27
Pro experience: NFL – 2 games played with 1 start (Eagles); San Antonio Brahmas (XFL) 10 games played with 10 starts; Houston Gamblers (UFL) – 11 games played with 11 starts
Vincent is a former track star and runs a 4.38 in the 40. He became known in the UFL as the league’s best lockdown cornerbacks. As the season rolled along, quarterbacks just quit throwing in his direction.
He was two interceptions off the league lead but had 10 batted passes, had a pick-six, and made the 2026 All-UFL Team.
He was in two NFL camps and played for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL and the Houston Roughnecks in the UFL’s first year.
Vincent is a standout cornerback with excellent athleticism and movement skills. He would provide the Cardinals with a very good slot corner who is very quick to break on the ball. Excellent ball skills with the ability to break down in space, and has no issues getting into the run support game.
The Cardinals are going to need someone to replace nickelback Garrett Williams, who will most likely begin this upcoming season on the PUP list. Vincent is that guy.
