Cardinals Camp — Sep 3: Pappoe Claimed, Arizona Claimed Nobody

Arizona had the third pick in Monday's waiver run and came away with nothing — and lost something. The Cardinals were awarded no players despite holding the third priority behind the Raiders and Jets, who claimed three between them, per Michael McDermott at Heavy. Then Tennessee claimed inside linebacker Owen Pappoe, and McDermott reports the front office had hoped he would clear so it could sign him back to the practice squad for his fluency in Nick Rallis's defense. Our last episode told you sixth-round rookie Karson Sharar beat Pappoe for the fourth inside linebacker job; that was the roster decision. This was the cost of it. Pappoe was Arizona's fifth-round pick in 2023 and played 49 games here with two starts, per McDermott. He was the only Cardinal anyone claimed, as of Tuesday, per Reese Kunz at Raising Zona, and Arizona claimed nobody in return.

The quarterback room moved the other way, toward good news. Mike LaFleur said Monday that Carson Beck would return to practice this week as a full participant, per Myles Simmons at Pro Football Talk — his first full work since the rib injury in the Hall of Fame game, with Jacoby Brissett still the plan to start. Then, on Tuesday, the team signed defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte to the practice squad, and Darren Urban at the team's site noted the twist: it was Harrison-Hunte, playing for Carolina, who sacked Beck in that game — the play that hurt the ribs and kept him out of the rest of the preseason. He and offensive lineman Vershon Lee, a rookie with the Vikings last year, were Tuesday's two additions, per Urban.

Now the 53 itself, as set Sunday: three quarterbacks, three running backs, seven receivers, three tight ends, nine offensive linemen, six defensive linemen, five outside linebackers, four inside linebackers, five cornerbacks and five safeties — Tyler Drake's breakdown at Arizona Sports and Donnie Druin's at All Cardinals give the same numbers. The fifth safety is there because of Dadrion Taylor-Demerson's preseason rib injury, per Druin, which is how undrafted rookie Wydett Williams made it. Urban's own note on cutdown day was that the 53 on Sunday "are unlikely to be the 53 on the roster" by the opener, and that Arizona kept three quarterbacks for the first time in a few years.

The reserve moves from Sunday hold with the injuries now named: running back James Conner, with an ankle, and defensive lineman Zach Carter, with a knee, on injured reserve with return designations, a four-week minimum, per the team's release and Drake; tight end Tip Reiman on the reserve physically-unable-to-perform list, out at least four games. No further reserve move has been reported since Sunday.

The practice squad is where Sunday's cuts mostly went. 13 announced Monday, per Douglas Santo at Arizona Sports, and offensive lineman Valentin Senn on an international exemption, per Kunz. The ones that matter: tight end Teagan Quitoriano, the blocker we told you was waived while the team solved the position by trade — back a day later, with Reiman out four games, per Santo. Running back Evan Hull, waived two days after a hundred-and-seven-yard finale, back as the insurance behind a three-man backfield that had just traded Corey Kiner to New England, per Santo. Receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, carted off in the finale and waived, back. Cornerback Starling Thomas V, back. Offensive lineman Matt Pryor, released from the 53 and retained, per Druin — one of three offensive linemen Arizona signed Monday, behind a line that lost second-round rookie Chase Bisontis to a torn knee ligament in August. Then Harrison-Hunte and Lee on Tuesday, for 16 as of Tuesday by the team's announcements.

The rest of Sunday's cuts that landed anywhere landed on practice squads. Quarterback Kedon Slovis signed with Green Bay's on Tuesday, per Evan Western at Acme Packing Company — the team he threw two interceptions against in the finale. Offensive lineman Christian Jones went to Chicago's, cornerback Elijah Jones to the Giants', center Ka'ena De Cambra to Houston's, per Jess Root at Cardinals Wire. And Sean Murphy-Bunting, the camp starting nickel released Sunday, signed to Tampa Bay's practice squad on Wednesday, per Scott Smith at the Buccaneers' site — the team he won a Super Bowl with. Jeremy Fowler had reported Monday that he was signing with a chance to elevate early in the year, per Donnie Druin at All Cardinals.

One line from our last episode gets an update rather than a correction. We said Trey Benson was waived on August 24; the fuller version, per Druin, is that he was waived with an injury designation, cleared with all 31 other teams passing, and reverted to Arizona's injured reserve, which is why he is still a Cardinal on paper. The four "was waived" lines — Hull, Quitoriano, Smith-Marsette, Thomas — were true for about a day.

LaFleur's week was about routine. Tuesday's session was the last heavy practice before the Labor Day break, "pretty loaded," per Urban, and his read on the ordinary week, per Urban: "You love routine, we got routine. We play 17 Sundays in the daytime." On keeping the bottom of the roster informed with jobs still unsettled: "where communication lacks, negativity fills the void." And on the Week 1 opponent, a Chargers offense now run by Mike McDaniel, per McDermott: "I don't know what they're changing. I don't know exactly what he was saying in Miami; I know some. Now he's got Herbert and a whole new place." He has not worked with McDaniel since 2020.

Back in July we previewed Arizona as a positioning year — a season graded less on the standings than on whether Jeremiyah Love looks like a third overall pick, whether Trey McBride's target share survives the coordinator change, and whether the quarterback bridge holds long enough for Beck to answer the 2027 question. The floor it starts from: three and 14 last season, an offense that ranked 20-third in expected points added per play — the measure of how much each snap moved the expected score — and a defense 20-seventh. Cut day committed the roster to the July framing; this week added one piece of evidence to each question. Beck is cleared for full work, which is the first film due on the bridge. Love's ankle is a game-weekend call, per Urban, with LaFleur saying Monday he is "taking another step, took another step yesterday," per McDermott. And right guard Isaiah Adams's knee is a second game-weekend call our last episode never carried, per Urban. The bet is still on the table. The evidence is due in 10 days.

Next is the Chargers, Sunday, September 13, at SoFi Stadium. What to watch: whether Love and Adams practice by the weekend, and whether Beck gets his full practices in. The Recap follows the game.

_Data via nflverse._