The Cardinals’ first injury report of the week is starting to paint a pretty clear picture for Sunday, and the biggest name trending the wrong way is starting right guard Isaiah Adams.
Adams was absent again on Thursday, a bad sign after he’d already missed practice dating back to last week with a knee injury. That puts his Week 1 status against the Chargers in serious doubt, especially with Arizona set to turn the right guard spot over to Jon Gaines if Adams can’t go.
Gaines looks like the next man up. He’s listed as the No. 2 option at guard and center on Arizona’s first depth chart of 2026, and he already has five starts from last season. He also turned heads in preseason and has been waiting for a real shot to lock down a starting role after three seasons, with his rookie year cut short by injury.
Arizona did get Josh Sweat back on the field Thursday after he took a rest day Wednesday. Sweat was limited, listed with rest/knee, alongside rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, who remains limited with an ankle issue. Garrett Williams also stayed limited because of an Achilles injury.
The Cardinals’ full participants were Blake Gillikin, dealing with a groin issue, and Will Johnson, who is working through an ankle injury.
Another concern on Arizona’s side is Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, who did not practice Thursday because of ribs. He was downgraded on the report, which doesn’t help his outlook either.
Across the field, Los Angeles had a few moving parts of its own. Keaton Mitchell, Brenan Thompson and Tuli Tuipulotu were all limited, with Mitchell listed with a hamstring injury and Thompson and Tuipulotu both dealing with hips.
Mickens and Mack were the only Chargers to change status from Wednesday, each moving in the right direction after starting the week limited and DNP, respectively. Leonard missed a second straight day, which makes his weekend status look shaky.
Justin Herbert also had plenty of praise for Budda Baker when speaking with Chargers reporters.
"He does everything. He's able to make so many plays in so many different positions on the field and they kind of let him do his thing and that's what he does best," Herbert said of Baker.
"He goes and makes plays and whether he's in the run fits, dropping back coverage, he just finds a way to be around the ball and he's definitely going to have to be aware of on the field."
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is scheduled to talk to reporters Friday morning and should have more on Adams and the rest of the injury situation before the team puts out its final Friday injury report. Arizona has one more practice left before players are officially labeled out, questionable or doubtful.
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There were a few other spots that hinted at how Arizona is sorting through the final pieces before kickoff. Dante Stills is listed ahead of Darius Robinson at left defensive tackle, while Andrew Wingard is the starter at free safety, giving the Cardinals a first official snapshot of where some of their key decisions have landed. For a roster with a few young headline names and a handful of position battles still worth watching, the initial chart does not answer every question, but it does show which players have the early edge. [Read more 🡒]