TEMPE - The Arizona Cardinals will be without starting safety Andrew Wingard when they face the Detroit Lions in Week 5, but the injury outlook was more encouraging for a pair of key players who could still be available Sunday.
Head coach Mike LaFleur said running back Jeremiyah Love is “trending well” and described the issue as a maintenance matter involving his ankles. Love has been practicing and moving well, according to LaFleur, who added, “Right now, trending well.
Yeah. It's a maintenance thing with ankles, and you guys see the way he cuts.
So I don't know what he's totally feeling. Only he knows, but I mean, he's doing good.
He's out there practicing. He's running around, stuff like that,”
Love is dealing with an ankle injury separate from the one that sidelined him during preseason. Even with the early-season injury concerns, he has appeared in every regular season game so far. If he is cleared as expected, he’ll be working behind an offensive line that just lost two starters in Paris Johnson Jr. and Isaiah Adams.
LaFleur also said defensive lineman Walter Nolen III, who showed up on the injury report with a calf injury, is in a better spot than the team first feared. Nolen’s first season has gotten off to a slow start, though he seemed to be turning things around last week in New York.
The Cardinals are trying to steady themselves after a 1-3 start, but LaFleur wasn’t interested in framing the record with near-misses or what-ifs.
“Could have, should have, would have. So that doesn't matter in this league. But again, one and three, three and one, four and zero, zero and four, anywhere in between like we are right now - just looking for improvement and trying to get the result this Sunday,” he said.
There was also good news on tight end Hunter Long, whose move to injured reserve is not expected to end his season, and outside linebacker Jordan Burch is set to be available after missing two straight days because of a personal matter.
Arizona will release its official injury designations later Friday after practice.
On the other side, Lions safety Brian Branch remains a question mark. Dan Campbell called it a tall task for Branch to play, and LaFleur said the Cardinals would not overhaul their plan solely because of Branch’s status.
“It’s been five years in a row that we've played Detroit, and he's been a big part of what they've done there. Because he hasn't played this year, you can't overly prepare for him. It's not like they're going to change up their scheme,” LaFleur said.
“You're just going to end up grabbing a really good football player if he ends up playing this Sunday. But from a schematic standpoint, there's not really much you're going to change because you don't really know where he's at as a player right now.”
In Other News...
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Marvin Harrison Jr. has only just started to settle into his place in Arizona, but his name is already surfacing in deadline chatter as the NFL moves closer to the next round of roster maneuvering. ESPNs Josh Weinfuss and Stephen Holder reported that the Indianapolis Colts are among the teams doing due diligence on the Cardinals wideout, a reminder that even a former No. 4 overall pick can become part of the leagues wider trade conversation before his rookie chapter has fully unfolded.
For Arizona, the important part is what is not happening right now. The Cardinals are not shopping Harrison, and he has said he is focused on helping the team win rather than tracking rumors around him. Still, the fact that another team would be willing to explore the idea if he somehow became available is enough to make this worth watching as the deadline picture sharpens around a player who has already appeared in four games this season. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face One Clear Challenge In A Winnable Lions Test
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The issue for Arizona is whether the offensive line can survive long enough to let the rest of the plan work. Injuries have thinned the group to the point where the Cardinals are asking for new answers in a spot where continuity usually matters most, and that makes the matchup feel a little less comfortable than the records suggest. If the line can hold, the Cardinals have a chance to turn a winnable test into a useful early-season statement. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Secondary Problem They Cant Ignore
With Will Johnson sidelined, the Cardinals took a close look at the back end of their defense by bringing in four safeties for a workout as they try to steady a coverage unit that has suddenly become harder to trust. DAnthony Bell, Dan Jackson, Mark Perry and Nate Valcarcel all got a chance to show what they could offer, a sign Arizona is keeping the door open for help while sorting through the fallout in its defensive backfield.
Mark Perry emerged from that group with the immediate opportunity, landing on the practice squad as the Cardinals continue to patch together answers behind an injury-hit secondary. For a team already trying to manage one personnel hit in the defensive backfield, the move suggests this is less about a one-day audition than an ongoing search for someone who can help stabilize the room. [Read more 🡒]