NEWTON, Massachusetts -- At this point, the Cardinals will be happy just to trade one for one when it comes to their injury-ravaged defensive line.
The Cards activated defensive end Zach Allen Saturday from Injured Reserve, giving them another piece up front. At the same time they put defensive end Josh Mauro (hamstring) on IR, meaning Mauro is out a minimum of three weeks. The team also put tight end Darrell Daniels (ankle) on IR.
Those were just the beginning of a handful of roster moves the Cards needed to make ahead of Sunday's game against the Patriots.
The team used its three COVID replacement spots on defensive end Michael Dogbe running back D.J. Foster and cornerback Jace Whittaker of the practice squad. They also used a standard practice squad elevation on defensive tackle Stacy McGee. Finally, the Cardinals signed tight end Evan Baylis from the practice squad.
Interestingly, even though the Cards lost two wide receivers to the COVID list (Larry Fitzgerald, Trent Sherfield), the Cards did not promote either of their practice squad wideouts in A.J. Richardson or JoJo Ward. It means the Cardinals will have just four wide receivers active -- DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Andy Isabella, KeeSean Johnson -- although they have the option of using tight end Dan Arnold or running back Chase Edmonds in certain receiver-type roles.
