Cardinals trim down to 53 players, plus Recap and news

The Cardinals are placing Conner (foot) on injured reserve with a designation to return, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix reports.

Conner continues to deal with complications from the foot injury that ended his 2025 campaign Week 3 of last season. Initially, when Arizona didn’t place him on the active/PUP list at the start of training camp, it was an indication that he had a chance to be available Week 1. Instead, Conner will be required to miss at least the first four games following this transaction. Considering rookie third overall pick Jeremiyah Love’s status is up in the air due to a high-ankle sprain, Tyler Allgeier may be the team’s lead runner in the early going, with Bam Knight backing him up.

Long has been traded from Jacksonville to the Cardinals, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Long will get a fresh start after spending 2025 in a depth role for Jacksonville. After being selected by Miami in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Long has been used primarily as a blocker, though he did log career highs with 12 catches, 85 yards and two touchdowns over nine regular-season contests with the Jaguars last year. Trey McBride is the clear-cut top dog at tight end for Arizona, so Long doesn’t figure to have a major offensive role with his new club.

Virgil caught three of six targets for 23 yards in a loss to Green Bay during Friday’s exhibition contest.

Virgil’s line was especially quiet in comparison to some of the other wideouts he’s competing with a for a spot on the 53-man roster, including Simi Fehoko (5-94-2) and Jalen Brooks (4-57-0). Still, Virgil showed pretty well during the exhibition slate overall, catching 12 of 18 targets for 158 yards over four games. The fact that he was a fifth-round pick in April’s NFL Draft could also help his case given that the organization might want to take a longer look at him.

Brooks played only 16 offensive snaps but shined during his time on the field, with his longest reception being a 20-yard connection with Gardner Minshew early in the second quarter. Brooks performed very well during the preseason, catching 15 of 17 targets for a team-leading 222 yards and one touchdown. That could go a long way to helping him secure a spot on the 53-man roster as a depth wideout option.