SB Nation - Onrea Jones

Arizona Cardinals Add Keilen Dykes to 53-Man Roster and Onrea Jones to Practice Squad

Hawkwind — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:12:28 -0000

The Arizona Cardinals didn't waste much time filling the vacant spot on the roster left by Lance Long. Today they called Keilen Dykes up to the active roster and they brought back Onrea Jones to the practice squad. Dykes, who missed most of camp with a gimpy quad, didn't make the initial 53 man roster but was signed to the practice squad. Jones was cut by the Cardinals and landed on the Redskins' practice squad for a week before they released him earlier this week. Jones means that the Cardinals will keep eight receivers in their 'system' with six on the roster and two (Jones and Ed Gant) on the practice squad.

Dykes should receive quite a bit of playing time this week because Kenny Iwebema is not expected to play this week. Dykes and Alan Branch should be the primary backups at defensive end.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Denver Broncos: Who Will Have the Biggest Impact

Hawkwind — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:03:53 -0000

by Paul Connors - AP

Arizona Cardinals runningback Jason Wright, center, lands in the endzone as Green Bay Packers' Jarrett Bush, left, and Brandon Underwood, right, cannot make the stop. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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With the clock ticking down the Arizona Cardinals preseason finale against the Denver Broncos, it's time to look at who might have the biggest impact on tonight's game. Since the Cardinals' starters are not expected to play much more than a couple of series, it's likely that a standout performance will come from alittle further down the depth chart. With that in mind, here's a look at this week's candidates:

Tyler Palko: Palko stole the show the last time that he was on the field (8 for 15, 103 yards and touchdown), in the preseason opener against the Steelers and he's expected to play quite a bit in tonight's contest. He should get every single snap of the second half so he'll certainly have his chance to make a huge impact as well as his case for the 3rd QB on this roster.
Lance Long and Orea Jones: With Anquan Boldin and Early Doucet completely out for tonight's game and Steve Breaston most likely limited, Long and Jones should see quite a bit of action again. Long has shown some flashes over the past year and a half but he failed to come up big last week in extended playing time and this could very well be his last chance to impress the Cardinals coaching staff. Jones is most likely showcasing himself for other teams but so far he's the only wide receiver on the team with multiple touchdowns and he'll look to add to those number tonight.
Jason Wright: With Tim Hightower and Chris Wells not expected to receive a ton of playing time and the concussion situation with LaRod Stephens-Howling, Wright could be in store for a significant work load. It's likely that his carries could climb into the double digits during the second half and he'll look to build on a solid game against the Packers.

Will Davis: Davis is seemingly getting better and better each week and against the Packers he totaled four tackles and a sack. He'll receive the bulk of the snaps again tonight and repeat performance shouldn't be out of the question.
Reggie Walker: Walker is following in Ali Highsmith's foot steps from last season considering that he's an undrafted free agent who is turning heads and making a serious case for a roster spot. With the lack of depth at inside backer look for Walker to receive a ton of snaps as the coaching staff tries to find someone to fill the void.
Rashad Johnson: Call me crazy but I'm coming from the gut on this one. I've just got a feeling that RJ is going to impact this game in some form or fashion. He dropped a sure-pick against the Chargers but I get the feeling that he'll record his first interception tonight.

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Who would you add or subtract from the list? Who's going to make the biggest impact?

Poll

Which Arizona Cardinals' player will have the biggest impact on tonight's game?

Tyler Palko

49 votes

Orea Jones

4 votes

Lance Long

15 votes

Jason Wright

10 votes

Will Davis

17 votes

Reggie Walker

17 votes

Rashad Johnson

12 votes

124 votes | Poll has closed

Arizona Cardinals vs. Broncos: Boldin, St. Pierre and Doucet Will Not Play

Hawkwind — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:07:59 -0000

by Jason Babyak - AP

(AP Photo/Jason Babyak, File)

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The Arizona Cardinals held their final practice before their preseason finale against the Denver Broncos and as expected they ruled Anquan Boldin, Brian St. Pierre and Early Doucet out of action. Boldin is still hampered by a gimpy hamstring and St. Pierre's back is still giving him problems. Doucet's ribs will likely keep him out for at least a couple of weeks. LaRod Stephens-Howling is doubtful for Thursday's game and is still experiencing from symptoms from his concussion, althouh he has passed the neurological tests in order to return to action. Matt Leinart is still experiencing some shoulder soreness but he is expected to play through the pain, although Tyler Palko is expected to see quite a bit of action.

Ken Whisenhunt still hasn't decided exactly how much his starters will play but they will at least take the field. It's doubtful that Palko will be able to jump St. Pierre on the depth chart but it will be interesting to him in his first action since the preseason opener. With Boldin and Doucet out and Breaston most likely limited, it'll be another chance for Lance Long and Orea Jones to showcase themselves.

Arizona Cardinals Fight For 53: Examining the Bubble Players by Position

Hawkwind — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:52:26 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

3 months ago: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson, right, picks up an eight-yard gain as Arizona Cardinals cornerback Ralph Brown pulls him down during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Friday, Aug. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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It's simply the nature of the NFL that 22 players who currently call themselves Arizona Cardinals, will be unemployed by the end of this coming weekend. The bad news will be given to hundreds of players across the NFL within the next week and many will be left hoping for a place on some team's practice squad or maybe the newly formed UFL. Before anyone has to worry about their new football home though, the bubble players will have one last shot to impress the coaching staff this Thursday when the Cardinals travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. Here's a quick list at the battles at various positions.

Kreider vs. Castille: With four running backs expected to make the final roster, thanks to LaRod Stephens-Howling's impressive play over the past month, the Cardinals are expected to carry just one fullback. That leaves three guys, Dan Kreider, Tim Castille and Reagan Maui'a, fighting for one spot, although truth be told it's really just a battle between Krieder and Castille. No one has really established themselves and each guy brings something different to the table. Krieder is hands down the better blocker and he's a "Whiz-guy" but Castille's versatility out of the backfield and prowess on special teams gives him a shot.

Long versus the Unknown: The only real question for the Cardinals to answer at wide receiver is how many they want to carry. Assuming that Early Doucet's recent rib injury won't effect his roster status, the teams top six wide outs are virtually set in stone (Fitz, Q, Breaston, Urban, Doucet and Morey). That leaves fan favorite Lance Long fighting for a spot that simply might not be there, but the team has carried seven wide receivers before. The injury risk of a couple of those guys and Long's ability to contribute on special teams leaves the door open. At this point Orea Jones, who's been impressive during the preseason, is simply showcasing himself to other teams or hoping for a practice squad job.

Brown vs. Ross: The offensive line is sort of the in the same predicament as the wide receiver spot considering that they've got quite a few semi-capable bodies but not enough roster spots for everyone. What we know is that Gandy, Wells, Sendlein, Lutui, Levi Brown, Keith and Johnson are all locks make the final 53. If you're counting that's seven bodies and most squads carry eight or nine (although the Cards have kept ten before). That leaves two or maybe three spots up for grabs. One of the spots will undoubtedly be filled by a center and that battle seems to have boiled down to Ben Claxton versus Melvin Fowler. Fowler has a huge edge in experience and would seem to be the front runner but don't count out Claxton's familiarity with the offense. Assuming that the backup center spot is filled by one of these two (but not both), that leaves eight guys with Elton Brown, Trevor Canfield, Carlton Medder and Oliver Ross on the outside looking with one or two spots to fill. Of these remaining four, I'd have to say the top two are Brown and Ross and they'd be battling for the final spot or could be the final two in, if the team decides to keep 10 offensive lineman.

Unknown at Tight End: As we stated yesterday the only thing we really know about the tight end spot is that we really don't know anything. The best bet right now is that Ben Patrick is essentially assured of the roster spot to start the season but that's only because he won't count against the 53 until his four game suspension is over. With that in mind, we'll set him aside and just look at the remainder. The Cardinals in the past have carried as few as two tight ends and as many as four so it's possible that Stephen Spach, Leonard Pope, Anthony Becht and Dominique Byrd could all make the opening day roster, but that's probably a stretch considering how little the tight end is used in the passing game. Our best bet is that three with make the opening day 53 (not counting Patrick remember) with either Pope or Byrd getting cut.

Branch vs. Dykes: This much we know on the defensive line, Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, Bryan Robinson, Kenny Iwebema and Gabe Watson are all locks, even though Watson looked terrible against the Packers. It's tough to look at the Caridnals historically to see how many defensive lineman they kept because the 3-4 defense requires less lineman and more linebackers, but we can be sure that Keilen Dykes, Alan Branch, Alex Field, Rodney Leisle are all at the very least on the bubble. I don't think there would be any debate to say that Dykes and Branch are the best of those four but it could come down to whether the Cardinals want to keep six or seven defensive lineman. If they chose to go with six DL, I think Branch would be the choice considering that Dykes has had serious problems stay healthy over the past two training camps. His inability to stay on the field probably means that the Cards could stash him on the practice squad for an eventful call up when someone gets hurt.

Linebackers Help: Outside of the starters at linebacker, Dansby, Hayes, Haggans and Okeafor, I'm not sure that anyone is assured of a roster spot. Bertrand Berry would seem like a lock but he's done a complete disappearing act so far during the preseason. Victor Hobson, Will Davis and perhaps even Reggie Walker would seem like the next closest thing to locks. Hobson has experience in a 3-4 and can play inside and out while Davis and Walker have been impressive over the past couple of games. There's also Ali Highsmith who's failed to produce the same kind of buzz that he did last year. Chase Bullock and David Holloway round out the rest of the roster but neither of them have done much to warrant a roster spot. If the Cards had to decide today, I'm thinking that they'd keep the starters plus Berry, Hobson, Davis and Walker although this could be one position that gets an upgrade once other teams make their cuts.

Ware vs. Adams: There will be some tough decisions made in the secondary where it would seem that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Bryant McFadden, Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Rashad Johnson and Ralph Brown are all locks to make the squad. Brown has struggled in the preseason but so has the depth behind him so it's highly doubtful that his spot is in jeopardy. With six locks that leaves Aaron Francisco, Greg Toler, Matt Ware, Michael Adams, Jameel Dowling and Wilrey Fontenot fighting for what will probably end up being eight or nine spots. Francisco and Toler are certainly the front-runners of the bubble group so the real battle comes down to Ware versus Adams. It's possible that the team could keep all ten members of the secondary, they've done it before, but nine is a more manageable number. Ware has much more experience with the regular defense and is probably the more talented player but Adams' standout performances on special teams give him a shot.

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Thoughts? Who wins these battles and who makes your final 53?

Arizona Cardinals News: Boldin Hurt, Vallejo Cut and David Holloway Returns

Hawkwind — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:53:12 -0000

The Arizona Cardinals had a busy day for a Wednesday towards the end of August. With their third preseason game on the horizon and starters expected to play most of, if not all of, the first half, the Cardinals face the daunting task of trying to play key players without getting them injured. One guy that they won't have to worry about this Friday is Anquan Boldin, who tweaked a hamstring in practice on Tuesday. Despite a late night MRI that revealed the injury wasn't serious, Boldin will not suit up against the Packers. With another couple of weeks before the games really start counting, the Cardinals will be cautious with Boldin and allow him to be 100% when the Niners come to town on September 13th. That wasn't the team's only news yesterday though...

After working out a DE/OLB a couple of days ago the Cardinals decided to bring back a familar face, David Holloway. Holloway was an undrafted free agent out of Maryland in 2007 and spent nearly the entire season of his rookie year on the practice squad (activated for last game but didn't play). He was cut by the Cardinals last August when they signed another linebacker, Brandon Moore. He's undersized (6'2 230) but athletic (4.72 forty, 32 bench reps) and, despite the change to a 3-4 defense, he still will have some familiarity with the system so his learning curve won't be as drastic as a complete outsider. He should get considerable playing time in the final preseason game.
To make room for Holloway the team cut ROTB-favorite Elliot Vallejo. Vallejo dislocated his knee cap a couple of weeks ago and was going to have a hard time being ready by the season opener. Vallejo, a promising young player, was slated to be the primary backup at left tackle this season and a future starter. It's very likely that he'll be signed by another team even before he's fully recovered (keep an eye on the Chiefs), but I'm sure that the Cardinals would resign him if he's still on the market.
The final note to this roster move leaves the team with 79 players, one under the minimum and Cody Brown has not been placed on injured reserve yet. Once that move is made, the team will only have to cut three players before the September 1st deadline.

Brian St. Pierredid return to practice yesterday, on a limited basis, but Whisenhunt said that he'd be reevaluated before Friday nights game.
One final note about Friday's game centers around the wide receiver spot. With Boldin and Breaston already ruled out, this game could be a huge chance for guys like Early Doucet, Lance Long Sean Morey and even Orea Jones. With eleven wide receivers on the roster right now, there have to be a handful of guys who already know that their best case scenario is to showcase themselves for other teams and with Q, Breaston and Garvin on the shelf, it is very likely a now or never scenario for some of the youngsters. This might also be our only chance to see Doucet or Long get extended play time against a starting defense.

Arizona Cardinals Training Camp: Stock Up, Stock Down (Version II)

Hawkwind — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:22:04 -0000

More photos » by Don Wright - AP

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Limas Sweed (14) attempts a catch as Arizona Cardinals' Bryant McFadden (25) and linebacker Karlos Dansby (58) defend during the first quarter of a pre-season game. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

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With training camp in the rear view mirror and the Arizona Cardinals focusing on preseason contest #2 against the Chargers, it's about time to update our 'stock up' and 'stock down' lists. Most of the movement will be based on the performances from the previous game against the Steelers, but the past week of practice will carry some weight as well.

Last week we focused only on the guys that we termed 'bubble' players but this week we'll open it up to the entire roster in order to get a better idea of how some players are impressing or disappointing.

LaRod Stephens-Howling: The little man from Pitt continues to impress and word out of camp is that he may have leapfrogged Jason Wright and moved into the third spot on the depth chart. LSH looked minuscule at times trying to pick up opposing blitzers but he's working to improve and he's certainly got some wiggle with the ball in his hands. He'll get an even bigger role on Saturday considering that he'll get a shot as a kick returner so we'll get to see how he operates in space. Another solid showing could move secure him a roster spot.

Michael Adams: It's crazy to think that two 5-7 players stole the show in the Cards preseason opener but that's exactly what LSH and Adams did on Thursday. Adams played quite bit once the backups came in and despite his obvious lack of size his heart and desire are on display every time he steps on the field. He got burned deep once on a jump ball against a receiver who had half a foot on him but Adams has the fearless type of attitude that coaches crave on special teams and as long as he continues to perform like that, he'll make this team.

Calais Campbell: Moving from the little people to the giants, Campbell was a beast against the Steelers starting left tackle. He was stout against the run and got into Ben's face on more than one occasion. One solid preseason performance won't replace Antonio Smith but his first game action went a long way to easing some people's concerns.

Herman Johnson: Speaking of another giant, Johnson performed about as well as you could expect from a rookie drafted in the fifth round. He struggled a couple of times with speed rushers and had some miscommunication on one play, but overall he flashed the potential that the Cardinals saw when they drafted him. Of course we have to mention that he also made a highly athletic play tackling a corner back in the open field.

Greg Toler: The amazing athletic but very raw corner from St. Paul's College, played pretty well for his first exposure to the NFL. It's pretty clear that he still relies more on his athleticism than a sound understanding of opposing offenses and instincts but he made some plays against the second and third string that offer some hope that he possesses the ability to become a future starter. Consistency is most important, and hardest, aspect for a young player to master so we'll see if he can continue his impressive play.

Tyler Palko: It's almost hard to believe that an 8 for 15 performance with a touchdown and an interception against the 3rd and 4th string defense could make a guy so popular but Palko was awful impressive against the Steelers. His escapability and unwillingness to give up on a play were admirable and his arm looked better than advertised. Palko is still a long shot, at best, to make the roster but he's showcasing himself for 31 other NFL teams and if he continues to play like he did against the Steelers, he'll end up on someone's roster.

Orea Jones and Lance Long: Both Jones and Long are buried on the depth chart on a team stacked with the league's best wide receivers but that didn't stop them from playing an impressive game. Both made some decent receptions and showed some ability to pick up yards after the catch. They will have to continue to impress throughout the preseason but if they can duplicate their performance against the Steelers, I wouldn't be surprised if one or both found their way onto someone's roster this season.

Leonard Pope: After impressing some people early in camp Pope did anything but that in the preseason opener and he's returned to his inconsistent ways this week of camp. Many thought that he short-armed a ball against the Steelers to avoid a hit and he's dropped a couple of easy passes this week in practice. With so much competition at tight end, Pope must improve or he could find himself on the outside looking in when the final cut comes down.

Cody Brown: Brown played at least two full quarters and part of a third but had very little impact on the game, even though he was facing the second string and third string of the Steelers offensive line. He was noticeable a couple of times in coverage but considering that his pass ability is his strength right now, there are was hope that he'd be able to pressure the QB. He'll certainly get plenty of playing time again Saturday and he's not in danger or being cut, but at least for one night he was outperformed by his fellow sixth round draftee, OLB Will Davis.

Brian St. Pierre: We all know that BSP looked terrible on Thursday but Whiz acknowledged that he didn't have much help. BSP will be the second QB to take the field and if he's put in the same situation as Leinart, that means he'll take some snaps with the first string. Of course that also means that he won't be able to hide behind any more excuses. If he wants a legit shot at the backup QB job, it's a "now or never" scenario.

Alan Branch: I hate to keep beating a dead horse so I'll be short. Branch continues to underwhelm and nothing that he showed against the Steelers makes you think that he's turned the corner and is on the verge of dropping the underachiever label. He probably won't be cut but the note that he'll get some snaps at defensive end isn't exactly encouraging news.

Levi Brown: Coming into his third season there was some hope that we'd see a much improved player on the verge of a breakout year but one preseason game into the 2009 season, Brown looked like the same guy. Granted there will be about 16 tackles that struggle with LaMarr Woodley with season but you'd hope that Brown could go two series without giving up a sack.

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Who else was impressive or disappointing and who has the best chance to make this list next week?