The Arizona Cardinals have begun the cutdown to their initial 53-man roster. On Monday, Darren Urban of azcardinals.com reported the first six players to be released.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!- WR Daylen Baldwin
- OLB Chris Garrett
- CB Delonte Hood
- S Verone McKinley III
- CB Michael Ojemudia
- OL Austen Pleasants
Baldwin, 24, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns in 2022. He’s bounced around Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons before signing with the Cardinals on August 13.
Garrett, 26, was a seventh round selection by the Los Angeles Rams and a member of the Super Bowl LVI winning squad as a reserve outside linebacker. He was cut by the Rams the following August before practice squad stints with the Vikings and Seahawks. He spent time in the United Football, with Houston and St. Louis before signing with the Cardinals on August 20.
Hood, 23, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinati Bengals in 2022. He was cut that year and joined the Denver Broncos practice squad that December. He spent a year in the UFL before signing with the Cardinals on August 6.
McKinley, 24, was an undrafted free agent pickup for the Miami Dolphins in 2022. He spent much of that season on their practice squad before getting elevated to the active roster in November. He has 16 career tackles and one interception in his time with the Dolphins. After spending much of the 2023 season on the Miami practice squad, he was let go in December and signed to the Cardinals’ practice squad a month later. He signed a futures deal with the Cardinals after the season.
Ojemudia, 26, comes with the most playing experience of the group. A third round selection by the Broncos in the 2020 draft, he has 18 games and 12 starts under his belt. However, he has yet to play in a regular season game since the 2021 season after starting 11 of 16 games in his rookie year. He’s bounced around the Chicago Bears and the Rams before signing a futures contract with the Cardinals in January.
Pleasants, 27, entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 season. He has spent time on the Jaguars, Chargers, and Cardinals practice squads throughout his career and signed a futures contract with Arizona in January.
Additionally, wide receiver Zay Jones will not count towards the initial 53-man roster, as he’s serving a five-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. He signed a one-year, $2.2 million contract to provide depth in the wide receiver room behind Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, and Greg Dortch.
The Cardinals will have until 4:00 P.M. ET/1:00 P.M. MST to cut their roster down to 53 players. Players with less than four accrued seasons that are released will be subject to waivers, allowing the 31 other teams to decide to put a claim on a player.
