Cardinals practice squad includes vets, rookies
The Cardinals announced their 17man practice squad Monday, with 15 players who were on the team’s training camp roster this offseason.
Wide receivers Andre Baccellia and Daniel Arias had good preseasons, Arias is also a special teams contributor who got injured in the second quarter going over the middle for a pass against the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason finale.
Baccellia is on the Cardinals practice squad for the third consecutive season, though he played in eight games in 2022.
Running back Corey Clement rushed for 79 yards against Minnesota but couldn’t beat out undrafted rookie Emari Demercado for the third running back spot on the active roster. Clement appeared in nine games for the Cardinals last season.
Second-year pro Marquis Hayes, an offensive lineman, was a seventh-round pick in 2022 who spent all of last season on injured reserve. Offensive lineman Hayden Howerton played center and tackle during the preseason for the Cardinals.
Tight end Blake Whiteheart’s 77 receiving yards in the preseason tied him for the most with Baccellia, and Kaden Davis led all Cardinals with eight preseason catches including a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the first preseason game.
QB Jeff Driskel has some NFL experience but didn’t play in the preseason for the Cardinals. Still he was the quarterback the team brought back to the practice squad over David Blough.
Andre Chachere, a safety, was with head coach Jonathan Gannon in Philadelphia last season and also plays special teams.
The rest of the practice squad is defensive lineman Eric Banks, offensive lineman Jackson Barton, cornerbacks Quavian White and Bobby Price, safety Jovante Moffatt, defensive lineman Ben Stille and cornerback Divaad Wilson, an undrafted rookie from Central Florida who was with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
Tight end Bernhard Seikovits is back for another season as a practice squad exemption because he is in the NFL as part of an international developmental program.
Quick outs
Gannon said there are still competitions for starting jobs at unspecified positions. “We talked about roles (Monday). But roles can change very quickly. You know, it’s a production business,” Gannon said. “This team does a really good job of competing and understanding that and taking it day by day and trying to put their best foot forward.”
Gannon said the seven players acquired off of waivers last week have their roles, but that he will need some of them to play and contribute right away. “They’re here for a reason, so we feel comfortable with them.”
Josh Dobbs and Clayton Tune started the week in competition for the starting quarterback position. Both took part in Monday’s practice.
Gannon has yet to determine if team co-captain Kyzir White, or someone else, will wear the communications helmet to relay signals on defense.
Gannon’s pregame routine, he said, is to exercise, eat, review a couple of details and then “roll out the ball.”
OL D.J. Humphries’ pregame gameday routine includes 30 minutes of dry heaves. “Nothing’s coming up, I’m just sweating profusely, feel like I’m about to pass out,” he said. “And then something hits me and I’m like ‘Alright, I’m good. Let’s go eat some breakfast and let’s get after it.”