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Latest On Sean Payton-Chargers Fit; Cardinals On Radar?

November 25th, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sean Payton left his 16-year Saints HC job for a FOX analyst gig, but the Super Bowl-winning head coach has said on multiple occasions he expects to return to the sideline. This prospective return is being monitored closely around the league.

Payton continues to be linked to the Chargers. While some key hurdles remain in the path of such a partnership, league buzz is not cooling down here. Some around the league believe Payton will wait out this job, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who calls the Payton-Bolts connection a rather poorly kept secret.

The Chargers first emerged as a Payton destination over the summer, when a report indicated the team’s combination of a quality roster — highlighted by quarterback Justin Herbert — and warm-weather locale was expected to generate interest from the veteran coach. Last month, a report indicated the Bolts gig would be the job Payton would covet the most. The Cowboys and Dolphins were also mentioned in July, but the former has seen its Mike McCarthy hire produce a contending team and the latter path is effectively walled off after the tampering penalty that came about this offseason.

Of course, the Chargers would need to create a head-coaching opening and send the Saints compensation for Payton. No coach has been traded since the Chiefs acquired Herm Edwards‘ rights in 2006. That haul only produced a fourth-round pick. Other HC trades — including the likes of Jon Gruden, Bill Parcells and Don Shula — have involved at least one first-round pick. It is unclear what it would cost for a team to poach Payton, but the Bolts also would need to can Brandon Staley to open the door to a Payton-Herbert partnership.

Staley is 14-13 as Chargers HC. The Bolts managed the rare feat of rostering the Pro Bowl starting quarterback and missing the playoffs — something that had not occurred in the AFC since the 1989 Bengals — last season, with Staley’s largely the culprit. More injuries have hit this season, with a handful of Bolts Pro Bowlers — Joey Bosa and Rashawn Slater chief among them — suffering major maladies that have impacted the team’s play. Still, after a season in which the Chargers ranked 29th in points allowed, they enter Week 12 in that 29th spot.

If the shorthanded Chargers rally and reach the postseason in Staley’s second year, it would be more difficult for the franchise to justify a coaching change. The prospect of a Payton trade clouds this situation, however. Payton, 58, has said it will take a lot to lure him out of the studio and added he will rule out certain organizations. Based on everything that has come out, the Chargers almost certainly are not one of the franchises Payton would deem unacceptable. Until it is confirmed Staley will return for a third season, the potential Payton addition stands to remain a storyline.

While acknowledging many are connecting Payton to the Chargers, ESPN’s Dan Graziano adds the Cardinals are a team to watch here. His through-2027 extension notwithstanding, Kliff Kingsbury can be classified as a hot-seat occupant. The Chargers would probably be preferable to the Saints compared to Payton landing with an NFC team, but Kyler Murray would also be a draw for offensive coaches — albeit not on the Herbert level. This marks the first Payton-Cardinals connection, however.

Cardinals Expect Kyler Murray To Return In Week 12

November 23rd, 2022 at 9:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cardinals suffered a lopsided defeat on Monday, but they could have their starting quarterback available this week when they attempt to get back on track. Signs are pointing towards Kyler Murray returning in Week 12.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury described Murray on Wednesday as “definitely trending in the right direction” to be available on Sunday. The 25-year-old himself added that he expects to suit up against the Chargers (Twitter links via team reporter Darren Urban). That would mark his first game action since Week 9.

Veteran backup Colt McCoy has filled in for Murray over the past two games, including an impressive win over the Rams and Monday’s blowout loss to the 49ers. It was reported earlier this week that the Cardinals were at least considering keeping Murray sidelined for this week, as it is Arizona’s final game before their bye. Instead, the former No. 1 pick will apparently have the opportunity to test out his hamstring before then.

Murray has had a down year amidst the Cardinals’ continued struggles on offense this season. The Oklahoma product has posted a career-low passer rating of 86.9 while throwing 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. His rushing ability (359 yards and two touchdowns) has been a factor in his play as well, as always, but Murray’s performance has fallen short of expectations to date.

That has taken on added significance given the massive extension he signed this summer, just months after Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim inked long-term deals of their own. With the team being unable to correct the mistakes of years past, and relations with Murray having seemingly taken a downturn, Kingsbury is reportedly under increased danger of being let go no later than the conclusion of this season.

Against that backdrop of potentially added urgency, Murray will look to return to full health and provide a boost to the team’s middling offense. At 4-7, a playoff push may not be entirely out of the question if a winning streak starts soon, including as early as Sunday against the 5-5 Chargers.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/23/22

November 23rd, 2022 at 5:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: QB Case Cookus

Pittsburgh Steelers

Cardinals Fire O-Line Coach Sean Kugler

November 23rd, 2022 at 11:08am CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 23: More detail on Kugler’s dismissal emerged Wednesday morning. Kugler groped a woman Sunday night in Mexico City, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Mexican authorities notified the Cardinals of the incident. The team put Kugler on a flight back to Arizona on Monday morning, per Weinfuss.

NOVEMBER 22: One of Kliff Kingsbury‘s original Cardinals hires, Sean Kugler is no longer with the team. Kingsbury fired the veteran offensive line coach ahead of the Cards’ game against the 49ers on Monday, Bob McManaman and Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic report.

An unspecified incident Sunday night in Mexico City led to Kugler’s dismissal, according to the Arizona Republic. Kugler, who also served as the Cardinals’ run-game coordinator, had been with the franchise since 2019.

Assistant offensive line coach Brian Natkin and tight ends coach Steve Heiden will take over Kugler’s responsibilities, and Kingsbury said offensive assistant Mike Bercovici will move to tight ends coach. A former Cardinals tight end, Heiden has been on Arizona’s staff since 2013. This will be the first position-coaching role for Bercovici, 29. Natkin has been the Cards’ assistant O-line coach throughout Kingsbury’s tenure.

Kugler, 56, is the former UTEP head coach, serving in that role from 2013-17, but has been on NFL staffs for the most part during the 21st century. Breaking into the league in 2001 with the Lions, Kugler has been an O-line coach in Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Denver and Arizona. After hiring Kugler to head up their O-line in 2019, the Cardinals named him run-game coordinator in 2021.

This marks the second member of Kingsbury’s initial Cardinals coaching contingent to leave the team since training camp. After being placed on administrative leave due to a domestic battery charge, running backs coach James Saxon resigned in October. Saxon pleaded guilty to the charge earlier this month.

Cardinals Hope To Re-Sign DL Zach Allen

November 23rd, 2022 at 10:35am CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals have already doled out a franchise-record contract to their first pick in the 2019 draft — Kyler Murray — and it would seem the second of Arizona’s picks that year (cornerback Byron Murphy) is on the radar for a new deal. While the team already cut ties with the other second-rounder from Kliff Kingsbury‘s first draft — wideout Andy Isabella — it has highlighted another 2019 draftee for a possible re-up.

Arizona would like to retain Zach Allen on a second contract, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. The former third-round pick is having his best season and might not make it to free agency. Though, money will be a rather notable notable part of that timeline.

[RELATED: Cardinals Seeking Long-Term Deal With Marquise Brown]

A defensive end in Vance Joseph‘s 3-4 scheme, Allen has already matched his career-best mark for quarterback hits (14) through 11 games. Teaming with a healthy J.J. Watt, Allen has recorded 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. Allen’s six pass deflections — also a career-high number — lead all defensive linemen this season. Pro Football Focus rates Allen 23rd among interior D-linemen.

While it is uncertain how the Cardinals will proceed with Watt, whose $28MM contract expires at season’s end, Allen is a logical candidate to retain due to his age (25) and improved production. If Watt’s deal comes off the books, the Cardinals will not have any notable payments due to defensive linemen come 2023.

It will be interesting to see how the Kingsbury’s status plays into the Arizona futures of Allen and Murphy. While GM Steve Keim has not come up in firing rumors, his standing would also affect how the Cardinals arrange pieces for the future as well. Kingsbury being canned would also stand to impact the Cardinals’ defensive scheme, with Joseph tied to the fourth-year HC. Without factoring these issues into the equation, the Cards have Allen identified as a cornerstone player.

The Cardinals have Allen, Murphy and Watt as high-profile free agents in 2023. While Watt is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, he has encountered steady health issues during the second half of his career. Watt remaining healthy this season also figures to create a nice market for a fourth contract come March, even though the three-time Defensive Player of the Year will be 34 next season. The Cards also have three offensive line starters whose contracts are up after 2022.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/22

November 22nd, 2022 at 6:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The Bengals both designated Prince for return from IR and activated him Monday. This marks the second time this year the defending AFC champions have used one of their injury activations on a player only to waive him a day later. This first happened with Kareem, who then moved to the Bengals’ practice squad ahead of this Colts poaching. A former Dolphins sixth-rounder, Prince played in 15 Bengals games last season and started four. He has not played this year. It will be somewhat interesting if the Bengals keep Prince via a P-squad agreement, provided no waiver claims emerge.

Eifler, Rhattigan and Shudak have three weeks from Tuesday to be activated. The Seahawks, Titans and Commanders had seen their number of activation-eligible players pile up in recent weeks. Each of these teams have five injury activations remaining.

The Titans waived Week 11 kicker fill-in Josh Lambo on Monday. Primary Tennessee kicker Randy Bullock missed the game but is not on IR. Bullock suffered a calf injury during pregame warmups in Week 10. Shudak, a rookie UDFA out of Iowa who has spent the season on the Titans’ reserve/PUP list, would stand to represent insurance this week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/22

November 21st, 2022 at 6:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, T D.J. Humphries Out For Week 11

November 21st, 2022 at 10:52am CST by Ely Allen

NOVEMBER 21: Confirming previous reports, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets that McCoy will “definitively” get the nod once again tonight. She adds that Murray was never truly in consideration to suit up against the 49ers, but that the Cardinals publicly kept his availability in the air to avoid tipping their hand in the lead-up to the contest.

This will be the second straight absence for Murray, but he may remain sidelined for even longer. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Cardinals may very well rest their starter next week against the Chargers, allowing him to return after their Week 13 bye (Twitter link). Much could depend on the team’s performance during the next two contests as Arizona looks to get back into playoff contention.

NOVEMBER 20: This season has not gone according to plan for the Cardinals, who were 8-2 at this point last season. Things can turn towards a more positive direction with a win over their division opponent, the 49ers, tomorrow night. Unfortunately, they will be attempting to do that without their starting left tackle and potentially without their star quarterback.

Starting left tackle D.J. Humphries has been ruled out for the second-straight game as he continues to deal with back issues, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. Arizona has quite a few options to replace the veteran on the blindside as they’ve been filling injury-caused holes in their offensive line all year. Starting center Rodney Hudson and starting right guard Will Hernandez are on IR while several others have missed games here and there. Josh Jones, Rashaad Coward, Lecitus Smith, and Cody Ford have all gotten opportunities to fill in with starts. Jones, Coward, and Ford will likely be the ones vying for the left tackle spot as Smith has been at the right guard position in place of Hernandez.

Quarterback Kyler Murray has been limited in practice all week while dealing with a hamstring injury. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury told the media that Murray is “progressing” with his injury and has “come a long way,” according to Weinfuss. Murray will reportedly be a gametime decision for tomorrow night’s game in Mexico City.

If Murray is unable to go, the Cardinals will have Colt McCoy behind center for the second-straight game. McCoy led the team to a win against another division-rival last week when the Cardinals beat the John Wolford-led Rams. While McCoy will technically be facing another backup quarterback tomorrow, Jimmy Garoppolo is a much more capable starting quarterback than Wolford. There were worries that the team would have to turn to third-string quarterback Trace McSorley as McCoy dealt with a knee injury, but after full participation in practice on Friday and Saturday, McCoy should be good to go.

At 4-6, the Cardinals have only one fewer win than the 49ers. A win tomorrow night could be a huge step towards passing San Francisco in the division standings and working towards the NFC’s final Wild Card spot. They’ll be attempting to do so without Humphries, and we’ll find out Murray’s status tomorrow.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/22

November 19th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The league’s minor moves leading up to gameday:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed to active roster: TE Nick Muse
  • Promoted from practice squad: CB Tay Gowan
  • Waived: OLB Benton Whitley

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Injury Updates: Dobbins, Allen, Cardinals

November 17th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Ben Levine

J.K. Dobbins sat out the first two games of the season, started for four weeks, and then landed on injured reserve. When Dobbins was knocked out by knee surgery in mid-October, it was thought that the Ravens running back had suffered another knee injury. However, the second-year pro made it clear that the surgery was precautionary and intended to remedy lingering effects from his earlier surgery.

“I didn’t get reinjured,” Dobbins told WBJ in Baltimore (via NFL Network’s Mike Giardi on Twitter). “I didn’t hurt myself or anything. I just didn’t feel like myself… there was some stuff in my knee that was making me not feel like myself. It wasn’t bad, I could have still played … but I’d rather be 100 percent going into the playoffs towards the end of the year so I could really do what I really need to do to help the team win.”

Following a rookie campaign that saw him finish with more than 900 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns, Dobbins collected 162 yards and two touchdowns this season before landing on injured reserve. As Gus Edwards continues to nurse a hamstring injury, the Ravens have leaned on Kenyan Drake to lead the RB room.

More injury notes from around the NFL…

  • While it sounds like Josh Allen won’t be forced to miss any time with his elbow injury, the Bills quarterback will be on a strict recovery plan for the foreseeable future. Allen told reporters that Buffalo’s training staff has him “on a specific plan that we’ll follow,” and CBS’s Jonathan Jones assumes that the quarterback will continue to be limited in practice going forward (Twitter link). Allen did acknowledge that his right elbow will eventually get back to normal, so there shouldn’t be any lingering concerns about his outlook moving forward.
  • Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said he originally injured his hamstring in Week 8 against the Vikings, played through the injury, and then tweaked his hamstring in Week 9, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Twitter. Colt McCoy got the start for Arizona in Week 10, and while Murray acknowledged that he’s feeling better, he’s still unsure of his status for Monday night’s game against the 49ers.
  • Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. While we don’t know any specifics surrounding the injury, coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters that the veteran will undergo surgery (per Weinfuss on Twitter). Ertz totaled 406 yards and four touchdowns on 47 receptions in 2022 before getting sidelined. The veteran inked a three-year, $31.65MM contract with the Cardinals this past offseason.
  • Leonard Fournette suffered a hip pointer last weekend, but the Buccaneers running back isn’t expected to miss any time following the team’s Week 11 bye, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Rookie Rachaad White got an extended look filling in for Fournette, finishing with 22 carries for 105 yards.
  • Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker told reporters that he’s still dealing with an ankle injury suffered in Week 1 that forced him to miss four games. “I’m not at 100%, no,” the veteran said (via Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star). “I mean, if I was at 100%, I’d be doing full steps on my kickoffs or going back to the 10 yards and everything.” Butker has struggled in the five games he’s played in 2022, connecting on only 62.5 percent of his field goal attempts. He’s also missed a pair of extra point tries over the past two weeks.
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