New practice squad punter Matt Wile (6) waits to punt in practice Wednesday while incumbent punter Drew Butler (2) waits his turn.
Punting may come down to holding.
New practice squad punter Matt Wile was on hand Wednesday, trading off kicks with incumbent Drew Butler at the outset of practice when special teams does their work. Butler has struggled on his kicks, and Wile was signed Tuesday.
But Arians said the Cardinals want to see if he can hold for placekicks before a choice is made whether to put him on
the active roster. Arians said the Cardinals will not put two punters on the active roster.
Holding is the big deal right now. Butler can do it. Wile needs work.
"There's a knack to it," Arians said. "You have to have good hands, and you have to be able to spin the laces and make sure the angle of the ball is exactly right every time."
Arians was asked why backup quarterback Drew Stanton wouldn't be the holder.
"If your backup quarterback is a good holder, that's easy," Arians said. "Ours isn't. He can hold but he isn't very good."
According to depth charts around the league, only the Chargers are currently using a backup quarterback as a holder.
"If you're dressing two quarterbacks, you're not going to put one of them out there to hold, have someone dive into his knee," Arians said.
FINDING A TACKLE IN MIAMI
The Cardinals' new right tackle, Ulrick John, began the season as a member of the Dolphins' practice squad. Sunday he'll get to start against his former teammates.
"It's going to be fun," John said.
Dolphins coach Adam Gase said John was a player close to making Miami's 53-man roster, and the Dolphins wanted to keep developing him.
"Them grabbing him, that was a tough pill for us to swallow, because they're hard guys to find," Gase said.
John smiled when asked about his exit from Miami, saying that his agent told him the Dolphins had said there was nothing they could do when the Cardinals came to offer a spot on the 53-man roster. Truth be told, that's all John wanted.
"I didn't want to be on practice squad," John said. "When I had an opportunity to be active, I was like, 'Hell yeah, let's go.' "
Injuries wrecked the original plans for the Cards' offensive line. John did the math when he first arrived, understanding an opportunity to play could come soon. Now he's starting at right tackle.
"I feel real comfortable now," John said. "Going into that game against the Falcons, it was my first NFL start, I was nervous going into that game. I feel I've settled in a little better."
MATHIEU STATUS UP IN THE AIR
Safety Tyrann Mathieu didn't practice Wednesday, and Arians was unsure when his shoulder would feel good enough to get back on the field.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Arians said.
The coach said he was surprised the shoulder was still giving Mathieu issues. Range of motion is a problem right now, Arians added.
Quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive tackle Frostee Rucker had a veterans day off. Also not practicing were wide receiver John Brown (sickle cell), linebacker Markus Golden (hamstring) and cornerback Tharold Simon (ankle).
Cornerback Justin Bethel (foot/knee), defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (elbow), defensive tackle Corey Peters (foot) and cornerback Patrick Peterson (knee) were limited.
For the Dolphins, linebacker Kiko Alonso (hand/hamstring), linebacker Jelani Jenkins (knee/hand), wide receiver Jarvis Landry (not injury related) and center Mike Pouncey (hip) did not practice. A bunch of Dolphins were limited: safety Isa Abdul-Quddus (neck), tackle Branden Albert (wrist), running back Kenyan Drake (knee), cornerback Xavien Howard (knee), defensive tackle Earl Mitchell (back), wide receiver DeVante Parker (back), center Kraig Urbik (knee) and defensive end Mario Williams (ankle).
