The Bills will have backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky available if they need him on Sunday.
Trubisky’s knee injury kept him off the field for a while in August, but he practiced every day this week and moved up to full participation the last two days. Trubisky did not receive an injury designation on Friday’s injury report, which puts him on track to be in the lineup against Arizona.
Wide receiver Curtis Samuel (toe) is also off the report and on track to play.
Defensive ends Javon Solomon (oblique) and Dawuane Smoot (toe) did not practice on Friday. Solomon has been ruled out and Smoot is listed as questionable.
The outlook for Bills backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky being available for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals is looking better.
Trubisky missed the last stretch of summer work with a knee injury that cast doubt on his status for the season opener. Trubisky was able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday, however, and he moved up to full practice on Thursday.
Former Dolphins and Jets quarterback Mike White is on the practice squad and would be called up if Trubisky can’t play.
Defensive end Javon Solomon (oblique) remained the only player out of practice for Buffalo. Safety Cole Bishop (shoulder), tight end Quintin Morris (shoulder), and wide receiver Curtis Samuel (toe) were full participants.
Marvin Harrison Jr. not only has comparisons to his father, Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, but also to Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald.
Harrison Jr. knows the expectations are great. He was the fourth overall pick and considered a blue-chip, can’t-miss talent.
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told Harrison Jr. to “be you” when he first arrived, and Harrison Jr. is following that advice.
“There will never be another Larry,” Harrison Jr. said, via Darren Urban of the team website. “If I could have half the career Larry had that would be great. I try and take it one day at a time and be the best version of myself I can be.”
Fitzgerald, the third overall pick in 2004, made 58 receptions for 780 yards and eight touchdowns in his rookie season on his way to 17,492 receiving yards and 121 receiving touchdowns.
Harrison Jr. played only three preseason snaps and had no targets in the preseason, so Cardinals fans did not even get a preview of what he can do.
The Cardinals have seen it in practice, though.
“I know fans are excited, but at the end of the day, I have to go out and do what [offensive coordinator] Drew [Petzing] calls,” quarterback Kyler Murray said. “I know what type of talent [Harrison Jr.] is and I know what he’s capable of, but we have to go out there and do it.”
No one has bigger expectations for Harrison Jr. than Harrison Jr.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Harrison said, “to live out a dream.”
The Buccaneers are dealing with some injuries on their defensive line, so they moved to bolster the group ahead of Sunday’s opener against the Commanders.
The agents for defensive lineman Ben Stille announced that the Bucs have signed their client off of the Cardinals’ practice squad.
Stille had eight tackles and a sack in five games for the Cardinals last season. He also saw regular season time with the Dolphins and Browns during the 2022 season.
The Buccaneers practiced without Logan Hall on Wednesday and Ernest Brown was limited by a rib injury. Reporters at the open portion of Thursday’s practice said neither player was taking part in the workout.
Former Panthers vice president of player personnel Adrian Wilson has had two of the three domestic violence charges filed against him in Arizona dismissed recently.
Wilson was arrested in June and charged with assault, criminal damage, and disorderly conduct for an incident at his home on June 1. Per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com, court records show the assault and criminal damage were dropped and that Wilson has pleaded guilty to the third with deferred prosecution.
In a statement to his X account, Wilson said that he entered a diversion program on the third charge and that it will be dismissed upon its completion.
“With the hearing behind me, I can now begin the process of healing from this very unfortunate incident and the embarrassment it has brought to my family and me,” Wilson said in his statement posted Wednesday. “I deeply regret my actions on June 1 and recommit to being a better person and father. I have learned a great deal and look forward to rebuilding my relationship with my kids, lending my 20+ years of expertise, once again, to the game of football, and supporting community and non-profit causes I believe in.”
The Panthers parted ways with Wilson in July. He was previously part of the Cardinals’ personnel department.
Kyler Murray returned from tearing his ACL late in 2022 to play eight games for the Cardinals last year.
He completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,799 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in those contests, while also rushing for 244 yards with three TDs.
But now that he’s further down the line in his recovery from the knee surgery, Murray is feeling more like himself.
“Going into year two now off of it, it feels like it never really happened,” Murray said in his Wednesday press conference. “Kudos to everyone that had a part in my rehab, but I don’t even think about it.”
Though it’s the first game of the year, Murray isn’t necessarily thinking of Week 1 as a fresh start. He noted he’s had it on his mind “for a long time.” Plus, he’s at a point where, despite having received his second contract, he’d like to solidify his status among the league’s franchise quarterbacks.
“That’s the goal,” Murray said when asked about being the face of the Cardinals franchise for years to come. “I would love to end my career here with multiple Super Bowls, MVPs, and all the accolades. And I’ve never questioned my ability. Obviously, you never know when this game will be taken away from you or anything like that, but I’m just grateful and taking it one day at a time. I’m focused on this week, and we had a good day today.”
That being said, he’s not entering Year 6 with the mentality that it’s some sort of pivotal season.
“I don’t really like when people say shit like that because — excuse my language — it doesn’t make sense,” Murray said. “As athletes, every season’s pivotal. Every season we go out there and have to try to prove ourselves right. It’s not, ‘Oh, we’re going to take this season off.’ Nah, I don’t look at it that way.”
Murray does, however, admit to Arizona having a proverbial chip on its collective shoulder given the perception of the Cardinals around the league.
“It’s hard not to hear what’s said,” Murray said. “It’s hard not to see what’s said. Everybody’s got their projections for every team going into the season, but none of that really matters.”
As the Bills begin their practice week for the season opener against the Cardinals, their backup quarterback is still dealing with an injury.
Buffalo listed Mitchell Trubisky as limited for Wednesday’s practice with a knee issue.
If Trubisky isn’t available, the Bills have former Dolphins backup Mike White on their practice squad to serve as the backup behind Josh Allen.
Defensive end Javon Solomon (oblique) was the only player who did not participate on Wednesday.
Receiver Curtis Samuel (toe), safety Cole Bishop (shoulder), and tight end Quintin Morris (shoulder) were all full participants in the day’s session and appear on track to play this weekend.
Bills safety Damar Hamlin has earned a starting job in Buffalo’s secondary.
Hamlin is listed as one of the two starting safeties on the Bills’ official depth chart, and when reporters asked head coach Sean McDermott about Hamlin’s status, he praised what Hamlin has done in the year and a half since he went into cardiac arrest on the field in a game in Cincinnati.
“Damar Hamlin will start,” McDermott said. “What else can’t this young man do? He went through what he went through on the field, you guys have written about that over and over, and to come back from that — it’s one thing to come back from an ACL or a broken bone. It’s another thing to come back off what he came back off. Let alone to decide to play football, and contact football, in full pads at the NFL level — I don’t think I need to say anything more. It’s incredible.”
Hamlin was widely praised last season for being able to return to the field at all, but last year he only played in five games, mostly on special teams, and was never in the starting lineup. This offseason Hamlin has drawn praise for his continued hard work, and now he is a starter.
The Cardinals did some roster gymnastics and the result is the return of linebacker Krys Barnes to the 53-man roster.
Barnes was released on Tuesday and he returned to the practice squad Wednesday for a brief layover before Thursday’s move back to the active roster. Cornerback Elijah Jones went on injured reserve in a corresponding move.
Barnes had 55 tackles and an interception in 16 games for the Cardinals last season. Jones injured his heel in the preseasn finale and can return to active duty after missing at least four games.
The Cardinals also signed signed tight end Jordan Murray, defensive lineman PJ Mustipher, and offensive lineman Luke Tenuta to their practice squad.
Bills quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s status for Week One is up in the air due to a knee injury, but the team thinks he’ll be able to play at some point in the first month of the regular season.
General Manager Brandon Beane said on Wednesday, via Joe Buscaglia of TheAthletic.com, that the team is “cautiously optimistic” that Trubisky will avoid going on injured reserve. If he does wind up on the list, Trubisky will have to sit out at least four games before he returns to active duty.
Beane added that it is “truly unknown” if Trubisky can be ready for the opener against the Cardinals, which is why Beane moved to secure another backup option to Josh Allen.
“I’m excited that we were able to get Mike White. We recruited him hard for the practice squad,” Beane said.
White spent the preseason with the Dolphins, so he’ll have to work quickly to get up to speed in Buffalo because it sounds like there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be in uniform on September 8.