TEMPE, Ariz. — The kickoff of the 2023-24 NFL season is now less than two weeks away and across the league, teams were required to cut their rosters down from 90, which was allowed for training camp, to 53.
The Arizona Cardinals made their most prominent cut on Monday when it was announced that quarterback Colt McCoy was being released. After Kyler Murray's injury last December, many expected McCoy to be the Cardinals' starting quarterback at the start of this season.
"Just like with every decision, we look at the full body of work," Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters about cutting McCoy. "(We) evaluate our guys. Production goes into that. And (we) felt like it was the best decision for our team to move forward with the guys that we have in the room to help us win a football game."
To get the roster down to 53, the Cardinals released these 31 players:
- Linebacker David Anenih
- Wide Receiver Andre Baccellia
- Defensive Lineman Eric Banks
- Offensive Lineman Jackson Barton
- Quarterback David Blough
- Long Snapper Aaron Brewer
- Safety Kendell Brooks
- Offensive Lineman Cohl Cabral
- Safety Andre Chachere
- Running Back Corey Clement
- Wide Receiver Brian Cobbs
- Wide Receiver Davion Davis
- Wide Receiver Kaden Davis
- Quarterback Jeff Driskel
- Tight End Joel Honigford
- Offensive Lineman Hayden Howerton
- Safety JuJu Hughes
- Offensive Lineman Braylon Jones
- Defensive Lineman Rashard Lawrence
- Linebacker Zach McCloud
- Cornerback Bobby Price
- Running Back Stevie Scott
- Tight End Bernhard Seikovits
- Defensive Lineman Jacob Slade
- Wide Receiver Brandon Smith
- Offensive Lineman Lecitus Smith
- Linebacker Kyle Soelle
- Tight End Noah Togiai
- Offensive Lineman Badara Traore
- Cornerback Quavian White
- Running Back Ty'Son Williams
The Cardinals also placed Kyler Murray on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which means he will not be able to play in at least the first four weeks of the season.
The team also placed rookie cornerback Garrett Williams on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list and offensive lineman Jon Gaines II on injured reserve (IR).
You can take a look at the Cardinals' full roster by clicking here. You will notice only 52 players are currently on the active roster, which is due to the Cardinals having seven players on IR, the NFI list, and the PUP list.
And despite getting down to their 53-man roster, Gannon made it clear that what is seen today will likely not be the 53-man roster that heads to Washington, D.C. to play the Commanders on September 10.
"The roster's always in flux," Gannon said. "So you never know. And even talking to some guys (Monday), you never know when you could be back up and playing. That's a very fluid thing, your 53-man roster and the practice squad spots, so (players) understand that."
So, expect the Cardinals to be active on the waiver wire on Wednesday.
The Cardinals will also have a 16-member practice squad (17 spots if they keep Seikovits, as he gets an international exemption). That roster has not been announced.