The Cardinals made an interesting move today, promoting quarterback Chad Kanoff from the practice squad to the active roster, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
To make room for Kanoff on the roster, the team waived wide receiver Jalen Tolliver. It’s a curious decision considering the Cardinals already have Josh Rosen and Mike Glennon firmly established on the roster. Neither Rosen nor Glennon were listed on the injury report this week, so it’s not a health-related matter. It’s possible another team was planning on signing Kanoff off their practice squad and the Cardinals made the move preemptively to block it.
Kanoff, an undrafted free agent rookie from Princeton, went 15 for 36 for 178 yards and one touchdown this preseason. The Cardinals apparently liked him enough to keep him around as the fourth quarterback, behind Rosen, Glennon, and Sam Bradford. The team released Bradford a couple of weeks ago, giving Kanoff an opening. Kanoff broke many Princeton and Ivy League records during his college career, and was a popular sleeper pick among some in the draft community. It’s possible he could develop into Rosen’s backup of the future.
Tolliver, also an undrafted rookie out of tiny Division II school Arkansas-Monticello, had just been promoted from the practice squad earlier this week. It’s likely he winds up back on the practice squad, taking the opening created by Kanoff.