Arizona

Cardinals

Petzing said Conner is the top running back for the Cardinals backfield, while Trey Benson will need to be ready. The 29-year-old Conner has not played a full season in his career yet. Though he has missed eight games over the last two seasons, it seems the Cardinals will give him a heavy workload when active, similar to his three straight seasons of over 16 touches per game. Meanwhile, the rookie Benson is one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy football, ready to take on a large workload should Conner miss time.

Jacobs says he declined to sign with the Chiefs, along with the Broncos, Bears, Cardinals, Dolphins, Giants and Texans. Jacobs’ statement perhaps most profoundly applies to the Chiefs’ starter Isiah Pacheco. The Chiefs’ front office allowed Jerick McKinnon to walk this offseason, publicly praising Pacheco’s three-down and scoring-position potential while adding only UDFA Carson Steele to the mix through the preseason’s conclusion. The Chiefs then signed pass-catching specialist Samaje Perine on Wednesday, in what was thought to be a likely depth-related move. The Chiefs’ prior pursuit of Jacobs, a capable three-down player, casts a slightly different light on Perine’s signing though; the front office may be less comfortable with increasing Pacheco’s receiving usage than it appeared for much of the summer. While Pacheco should still be viewed as a locked-in fantasy football RB1, his range of outcomes is now slightly wider than it was a week ago.

Jones must miss at least the next four games before being eligible for a return. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals added linebacker Krys Barnes to the active roster. The Cardinals used the No. 90 overall pick in this year’s draft on Jones to help bolster a secondary that struggled in its first season under head coach Jonathan Gannon. Jones will be eligible to return in Week 5 when the Cardinals travel to San Francisco to take on the Niners.

Carter will stay in the Arizona organization even after being waived by the team Tuesday during final cuts. The 25-year-old isn’t likely to see many — if any — touches for Arizona to begin the year.

Carter somehow emerged as the Cardinals’ RB2 down the stretch last season, but his services were no longer needed following rookie Trey Benson’s strong summer. Carter could end up back on the practice squad.

Ridder was in a battle with Clayton Tune to back up Kyler Murray. The third-year quarterback completed 20-of-35 passes for 225 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions in his three preseason outings while adding another 63 yards on the ground. Things haven’t clicked for Ridder since he entered the league as a third-round pick back in 2022. While playing in a broken Arthur Smith offense did him no favors, Ridder has thrown for 3544-14-12 in 19 career games and has 10 lost fumbles to his name. He’ll likely find a spot on another team’s practice squad, and could even return to the Cardinals if another team doesn’t scoop him up in the coming days.

The Chiefs added help at edge rusher, acquiring Cam Thomas from the Cardinals. Thomas was a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and has played in 32 games over two seasons in Arizona. He tallied three sacks as a rookie and none last season, though he did have a fumble recovery touchdown. He could add value as a rotational pass rusher for the Chiefs defense, which will be without fellow pass rusher Charles Omenihu for the beginning of the season. Omenihu tore his ACL in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory and is currently on the PUP list. Thomas gets a fresh start with the reigning back-to-back champions.

Ridder took a shot late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s preseason game and immediately made his way to the sideline. Ridder landing in concussion protocol could force the Cardinals to place him on injured reserve for initial roster cutdowns, which would likely make Clayton Tune the Cardinals’ QB2 to open the season. Ridder will likely be cleared in time for Week 1, but with cutdowns coming Tuesday, it’s unlikely he’ll be cleared before the deadline.

Tune drew the start and had a passable performance before being pulled for Desmond Ridder. An injury to Ridder late in the fourth quarter forced Tune back on the field with the Cardinals already in scoring range. Unfortunately, on his first play back, Tune threw a catchable pass to Broncos linebacker Levelle Bailey, who returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. It was a brutal break for Tune, who is battling with Ridder to be the backup for Kyler Murray to open the season. Ridder didn’t fare much better throwing for 111 scoreless yards on 10-of-16 passing, but he also didn’t turn the ball over. We’ll see how this competition shakes out in the coming days, but it’s safe to say neither quarterback would have much fantasy upside if they were to be forced to start.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Robinson may open the year on injured reserve, meaning he wouldn’t be eligible to return until Week 5 at the earliest. Drafted with the No. 27 overall pick earlier this offseason, the Cardinals were hoping Robinson could bolster their pass rush after he totaled 14 TFLs and 8.5 sacks at Missouri last season. Hopefully, his absence will be on the shorter end, but even if he does open the year on IR, it sounds like he’ll be back after the first month of the season if his recovery goes well.