The Cardinals are cutting linebacker Donald Butler and safety Chris Clemons as a part of their effort to get down to 53, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Butler signed a one-year deal with Arizona earlier this offseason, but it did not include any guaranteed money. The veteran, who has seven career sacks and three interceptions to his credit, played well enough in both 2012 and 2013 to earn a lucrative extension from the Chargers after the ’13 season. However, he struggled in 2014 and 2015, leading to his release in March of 2016. Butler was expected to bring experience to Arizona’s inside linebacker corps.
Clemons didn’t see much playing time since joining the Cardinals in 2014, but he was re-signed by the team in February to a non-guaranteed deal. The veteran was battling the likes of Tony Jefferson, rookie Marqui Christian, and Durell Eskridge for a spot behind starters Tyrann Mathieu and D.J. Swearinger but came up short. Earlier this offseason, Clemons was accused of assaulting a 25-year-old woman outside of a downtown Scottsdale nightclub.
The Cardinals also waived running back Kerwynn Williams, cornerback Cariel Brooks, wide receiver Marquis Bundy, tackle Rob Crisp, and guard Antoine McClain, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The full list of moves by the Cardinals today (so far) is below:
- LB Donald Butler
- S Chris Clemons
- RB Kerwynn Williams
- CB Cariel Brooks
- WR Marquis Bundy
- OT Rob Crisp
- G Antoine McClain
- WR Jaxon Shipley
- C Taylor Boggs
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.