Gut Reaction: Cardinals' Most Surprising Roster Decisions and What They Mean

The Arizona Cardinals made some eye-opening calls for their initial 53-man roster.

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker BJ Ojulari (9) against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ARIZONA — The dust is settling on the Arizona Cardinals' final 53-man roster.

The Cardinals, under the first-year watch of head coach Mike LaFleur, hope to surprise nearly everybody by flipping the script and winning games in 2026.

With the regular season right around the corner, there were bound to be a handful of shocking cuts and decisions by the Cardinals. Those tough decisions that were debated heavily for weeks are now in the past.

Let's break them down, and see what they mean for the team moving forward:

Only Keeping Three Running Backs

Arizona Cardinals running backs Jeremiyah Love (4) and James Conner (6) workout during their training camp red and white practice at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Aug. 9, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals placed James Conner on injured reserve with a designation to return, ensuring he'll miss at minimum the first four weeks of the season. Arizona, who wants to run the ball early and often to help set up the play-action, knows just how impactful a running back room can be — in terms of both production and potential for injuries to shake an offense.

With Jeremiyah Love still recovering from his ankle injury, the Cardinals are only carrying two other running backs in Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight.

What This Means: This is a big signal that the Cardinals are confident Love will be healthy by Week 1, which matches recent reporting. Allgeier could still handle majority of duties early on while Love is worked back to 100% health, however. As for Conner, he hasn't taken a single snap of team ball (camp or preseason) so he clearly needs time to ramp back up.

Rostering 7(!) Receivers

Aug 22, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Simi Fehoko (80) makes a catch against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Devin Moore (29) during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Only a select few NFL teams opted to roster seven receivers on their initial 53-man roster, the Cardinals being one.

There's so much chatter around Arizona's intentions to 1: establish the run and 2: utilize heavy tight end sets in the process. Chatter around keeping a sixth receiver was debatable, but seven was more so unthinkable.

It's not a bad decision, just more so surprising given how top heavy their room already was with Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne leading the way.

What This Means: Two things immediately jump out: The Cardinals weren't confident in gaining either Simi Fehoko or Jalen Brooks back from waivers for their practice squad thanks to their respective preseason outings. Special teams prowess played a major part in keeping both Fehoko and Brooks for the regular season.

Additionally, we just might see more 11 personnel than we anticipated with all of these wideouts.

Trading For A Backup Tight End

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Hunter Long (84) looks on during a joint Buccaneers‑Jaguars NFL practice at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals made a small ripple in the wave of NFL transactions today with the acquisition of Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Hunter Long. Arizona sent a sixth-round pick in 2028 for Long and a 2028 seventh-round selection.

The move itself was minor, and if Long doesn't contribute, Arizona's not exactly hurting from the trade. However, there was clearly a reason the Cardinals wanted to get Long on the roster before cuts were made official.

What This Means: Arizona can't be confident in Tip Reiman's health, especially since was placed on Reserve/PUP and will miss the first four games. Reiman is the Cardinals' best run-blocking tight end (where Long can contribute most) but hasn't practiced with the team in any capacity. Not to say Reiman is trending down, but he clearly wasn't ready for the season like Arizona hoped he would be.

Cardinals Finally Called It Quits on BJ Ojulari

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker BJ Ojulari (9) against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ojulari's trajectory took a massive turn ahead of the 2024 season. After an exciting rookie year, Ojulari suffered a knee injury that would ultimately derail his status as a promising pass rusher in the desert, taking a year and a half just to get back on the field. Neither the production nor tape hasn't been the same since.

It's tough to call it quits on a second-round pick, especially in a Cardinals outside linebacker room that is lacking in the ability to reach the passer outside of Josh Sweat. However, Arizona liked what they saw out of Eku Leota — enough to carry him on the active roster over Ojulari.

What This Means: There's not honestly much to dissect here. The Cardinals pulled the plug on Ojulari while general manager Monti Ossenfort chalks up another miss in his history of second and third-round picks. Ojulari's exclusion feels more of an indictment on his failure to truly impress the Cardinals rather than Leota's level of play — which was admittedly solid all through camp and preseason.

Saying Adios to Sean Murphy-Bunting

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (23) reacts in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

This might not have been a complete surprise, though Murphy-Bunting was the biggest name outside of Ojulari to pack his bags today.

Murphy-Bunting was moved to slot cornerback duties this offseason after restructuring his contract to stay with the team. As hindsight would have it, Murphy-Bunting was practically here to hold down the fort until Garrett Williams reached full health.

Williams was recently activated off the PUP list, and now the cornerback with the most experience in Arizona's room is released.

What This Means: The Cardinals are extremely confident in Williams being ready for the season opener. Yes, Kei'Trel Clark cracked the initial 53 and has versatility to play in the slot. However, Arizona knows there's a steep drop-off from Williams to the next player regardless of who it is. This move signals a massive green light for the Cardinals to get their starting nickel corner back in the saddle.

Karson Sharar Shines, Beats Out Owen Pappoe

Arizona Cardinals Karson Sharar (43) runs during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Aug. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It's hard to really pinpoint any "surprises" for this Cardinals roster, though Arizona rookie linebacker Karson Sharar certainly was considered to be an underdog after being made a sixth-round pick this past April.

Late-round picks often have a hard time making 53-man rosters, and Sharar's combination of size (or lack thereof) and established bodies in the inside linebacker room essentially made his work cut out for him this summer.

And boy, was Sharar ready — he beat out Owen Pappoe for the fourth and final ILB spot in Arizona thanks to strong special teams play.

What This Means: The Cardinals really put an emphasis on special teams ability, particularly with the majority of guys towards the bottom of the roster. Pappoe had the upper hand in terms of NFL experience and knowledge of Nick Rallis' defense — though Sharar beamed perhaps more than anybody in the third and often forgotten about phase of ball.

Looking across the roster (Fehoko, Clark among others) it's clear the Cardinals wanted guys who could wear multiple hats on gamedays. Sharar could do just that and make a name for himself on special teams during his rookie season.