Arizona Cardinals Sign Lance Long and Four Other Practice Squad Players

The Arizona Cardinals signed some of their own practice squad players to future contracts yesterday, in addition to announcing the signing of four other players. The move will keep Lance Long (WR), Dennis Keyes (S), Keilen Dykes (DT), Wilrey Fontenot (CB) and Onrea Jones (WR) under team control for the start of the 2009 season. That also means that as of right now Eduardo Castaneda (LB), Enoka Lucas (C), Kelly Poppinga (LB) and Alex Shor (TE) are not officially under contract with the Cardinals in 2009.

Lance Long had a great training camp last year after being undrafted out of Mississippi State. Nearly every practice report that we saw mentioned a great catch that he made but with the depth at wide receiver, he's fighting at uphill battle. Dennis Keyes had the highlight reel play of the preseason when he picked off a Tyler Thigpen pass and returned it 84 yards for a TD. He was undrafted last season after starting for three seasons at UCLA. Keilen Dykes was slowed during training camp by a pulled quad and he never really got on track during the preseason, but the coaching staff have still seen enough of him to keep him around. He was a well-decorated four year starter at West Virginia. Wilrey Fontenot was actually drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round of the '08 draft but was added to the Cardinals practice squad in early September. He was a four year starter for the Arizona Wildcats. Ornea Jones was undrafted in 2007 coming out of Hampton and spent parts of that season with the Colts and Packers.