TEMPE - The Arizona Cardinals got a few important bodies back on the practice field as they moved deeper into their next week of work, with Trey Benson, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Elijah Higgins and Baron Browning all spotted during the open portion of practice.
Benson’s return stood out most. He has missed recent practices while coming back from meniscus surgery, the injury that ended his 2025 season after Week 4.
He has been around individual drills during training camp and had shown up in 11-on-11 work at times, but that has not been the case lately. At this point, his path to the 53-man roster looks shaky.
Murphy-Bunting also rejoined the group after not practicing on Sunday, according to Arizona Sports’ Tyler Drake. He had been on the field for last week’s Raiders game and is expected to handle the starting nickel corner job while Garrett Williams works his way back from the PUP list.
At tight end, Higgins continues to sit behind Trey McBride as the backup. He is viewed as the second-best pass-catcher in that room, with Tip Reiman serving as the top in-line blocker. With Arizona expected to lean heavily on 12 and 13 personnel, Higgins should have a real role.
Browning is not a starter, but he remains the Cardinals’ top rotational edge threat behind Josh Sweat and Zaven Collins. He should be in the mix with Jordan Burch on clear passing downs, with Collins likely coming off the field in those situations.
Jeremiyah Love was, as expected, not present while he recovers from a reported high ankle sprain. Carson Beck, meanwhile, was on hand despite dealing with a rib injury.
Assistant general manager Dave Sears said the team has already been dealing with the usual preseason injury churn, though the replacement process looks different depending on the player.
"It's probably different for every player that gets hurt. ... We're well into the preseason scouting process. Right now, we're all kind of in a little preseason scouting coma," Sears joked.
"As soon as these games start going in, all you're doing is watching games, watching players, getting what's called your ready list or your emergency list. We're not at that point yet because we're still in competition for our own roster. So is every other team."
Arizona has only two preseason games left, starting Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys and then next Friday against the Green Bay Packers. Starters are expected to see little, if any, action the rest of the way.
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