Plenty has changed since the Cardinals last employed Josh Mauro, but the journeyman defensive lineman is headed back to Arizona to play for Kliff Kingsbury‘s staff.
The Cardinals signed Mauro off the Jaguars’ practice squad Wednesday, bringing the former Bruce Arians-era cog back to the desert. Mauro has not played yet this season, with a five-game suspension shelving him.
Mauro initially arrived in Arizona in 2014, signing with the Cards after a stay on the Steelers’ practice squad. Similar circumstances will lead him back to Arizona. The Cardinals, who let Mauro walk in free agency in 2018, placed starting defensive end Zach Allen on IR this week.
A run-stopping defensive end, Mauro was with the Cards from 2014-17. He made 26 starts under then-DC James Bettcher and followed him to New York for a one-season Giants stay in 2018. Mauro, 29, landed with the Raiders and Jaguars in the years since. Mauro has now twice been suspended for PEDs, with his first such ban coming in 2018.