How Arizona’s New Practice Squad Can Potentially Make a Difference in 2025

On Tuesday, the initial 53-man rosters were set for all 32 NFL teams as they began preparing for the regular season. However, setting the first official regular season roster meant that teams had to trim their preseason rosters from as many as 90 players down to 53. This meant that players who might have had a successful preseason were waived or cut, allowing their respective teams to get down to the required roster number. While it may have been deflating to see as a player that your efforts weren't awarded on a team's regular-season roster, it didn't mean that their NFL dreams were over. If a player were put on waivers, another team could have a chance to claim them. However, if they were to be cut or released, the player could choose to sign with another team willingly. However, if given the option, the player's respective team can still offer a spot on its practice squad, where they wouldn't see any game action, but still be able to practice with the team they were with before.

On top of that, that player could also have a chance to be elevated to the 53-man roster anytime during the season if an injury or corresponding move occurs first. On Wednesday, the Arizona Cardinals were able to bring 13 players back from their preseason roster to their practice squad, as they look to add more before the regular season. The players who got back were as follows: wide receiver Andre Baccellia, linebacker Elliott Brown, offensive lineman Jeremiah Byers, running back Michael Carter, offensive lineman Jake Curhan, tight end Josiah Deguara, wide receiver Simi Fehoko, defensive lineman Anthony Goodlow, cornerback Darren Hall, offensive lineman Sincere Haynesworth, offensive lineman Nick Leverett, wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer and defensive lineman Elijah Simmons.

For the offense, Arizona brings back a group mainly led by wide receivers and offensive linemen, as it looks to bolster its depth as a safety blanket heading into the regular season. Both position groups played integral parts in helping lead the Cardinals to a 2-1 record in the preseason, as they now look to continue making contributions on the practice squad with hopes of being elevated someday. To start, the offensive line group had a strong showing throughout the preseason, as they allowed only a total of eight sacks through three games. However, five of those eight sacks came in Arizona's most recent game against the Las Vegas Raiders. While the passing game wasn't quite as strong during the preseason, the running game proved to be a powerful force against opposing defenses, as the Cardinals started and finished the preseason with 100+ combined rushing yards, giving credit to the offensive line yet again. As for the wide receivers, despite not receiving a heavy workload, they still played a significant part in helping Arizona secure two wins in the preseason. The one receiver who led the group was Fehoko, as he hauled in a touchdown in each of the final two games of the preseason, giving him strong consideration to make the final roster.

While it was not meant to be, the Cardinals still saw potential in him, as they were able to bring him back to the practice squad, giving Fehoko a chance to join the regular season roster sometime in the near future. In addition to bringing back Fehoko, Arizona also brought back Baccellia and Palmer, who, although not as strong as Fehoko in the preseason, still provide more depth to the position heading forward. Along with the plethora of wide receivers and offensive linemen, the Cardinals also brought back Carter and Deguara, who return with multiple years of NFL experience and strong preseasons, as they look to get their names called back up to the active roster this season. Especially Carter, who has already had two previous years of experience on the regular-season roster with Arizona, albeit for only nine total games.

As for the defense, not as many players have been brought back so far, with a total of four players added to the practice squad. Of the four, Hall might be considered the best of the bunch, as he made plays right from the get-go. In the Cardinals' preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hall recorded Arizona's first interception, as he picked off Kansas City quarterback Bailey Zappe in the second quarter. On top of that, Hall would go on to have two pass deflections in that game, making him a force early. While he would finish the preseason with only one additional pass deflection and seven total tackles, five of which were solo tackles, Hall made the Cardinals' decision to release him a tough one, as they were fortunate to retain him on their practice squad following his strong preseason.

Along with retaining Hall, Arizona also kept two defensive linemen, Goodlow and Simmons, who delivered solid performances. Goodlow especially had better numbers out of the preseason than Simmons, as he went on to have seven total tackles, two solo tackles, two tackles for losses, two QB hits, and 0.5 sack. The final player to return to the Cardinals was Brown, who recorded four total tackles, including two solo tackles and two tackles for loss. While other teams can still sign players from Arizona's practice squad throughout the regular season, it'll be up to the Cardinals to decide whether they can elevate their players in time before they are potentially claimed by another team looking to utilize their skill sets on their active rosters.