Joey Blount is one of those players for whom it didn’t mean anything to be listed at third or fourth string on the depth chart. The safety displayed his full worth on special teams, where he was considered a demon.
On Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals placed Blount on IR, thus ending his season before it even begun. Also added to IR was tight end Kenny Yeboah.
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Blount was a fan favorite. He hunted down returners and was good at it. In Week 1 last season,
he suffered a neck injury which became season-ending. And now this, which also happens to be a neck injury. Blount has played in 38 NFL games with 20 total tackles and two forced fumbles.
Yeboah is a five-year veteran signed during free agency who was supposed to come in with his experience and become TE3. An exceptional blocker, Yeboah would be used as an extension of the offensive line along with downfield blocking, and snag a pass here and there. After four seasons with the New York Jets, he became injured in training camp last year while with the Detroit Lions and landed on IR, thus missing all of 2025.
The only way either player can play this year is to sit out the entire season, reach an injury settlement and be released, and then be re-signed. It should be noted that both players have had back-to-back injuries in training camp and missed two seasons in a row.
In corresponding moves, the Cardinals signed TE Shawn Bowman and LB Eugene Asante.
Bowman (6’-5”, 265 pounds) went to Rutgers and was named Third Team All-CAA plus 2024 Hampshire Honor Society. He went undrafted and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. He was waived on the final cutdown and then signed to their practice squad. This past spring, he played for the Orlando Storm of the UFL, where he had seven catches for 53 yards.
Depth is suddenly needed in the tight end room with the loss of Yeboah and lingering issues with Tip Reiman.
Asante (6’-0”, 218 pounds) was a fifth-year senior at North Carolina and Auburn due to the pandemic. He went undrafted in 2025 and signed with the Miami Dolphins but was injured in training camp and received an injury settlement. The Cleveland Browns picked him in mid-October and inked him to their practice squad, but was released two months later. Two weeks later, the Atlanta Falcons signed him to their practice squad.
This past spring, Asante signed with the Houston Gamblers of the UFL. He had 34 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and two batted passes.
