Just a week and a half after signing him to a contract, the Cardinals have waived veteran running back Michael Bush, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). Bush’s release is one of a handful of moves made today by the Cards, who also parted ways with tight end Matthew Mulligan, activated linebacker Matt Shaughnessy from IR-DTR, and promoted running back Kerwynn Williams from the practice squad.
Arizona’s decision to cut Bush is a curious one, since Andre Ellington‘s hip pointer seemed as if it would open the door for the former Bear to get some touches. Instead, the Cards have seemingly decided they prefer Williams, the running back the club initially waived to make room for Bush. With Ellington unable to go this weekend, Williams could get mixed into the backfield rotation along with Stepfan Taylor and Marion Grice.
As Urban adds in a tweet, the fact that Bush has been released doesn’t necessarily preclude his eventual return. It may just be a case of the team not being confident that he was picking up the offense quickly enough, or concerned that he wasn’t yet in ideal football shape. Assuming Bush goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll revert to unrestricted free agency, and Arizona could always re-sign him.
As for the team’s other pair of roster moves, Mulligan’s release clears the way for Shaughnessy, who was placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return after Arizona’s Week 5 game, due to a knee injury. The former third-round pick had been starting for the Cards prior to the injury, though it’s not clear if he’ll immediately take on the same workload he had before.
The series of roster moves leaves the Cards with a full 53-man roster and one opening on their practice squad.