Arizona Cardinals news 9/1: Waiver claims and the practice squad

It's September and it's a holiday. Sunday saw the NFL news slow down a little bit as teams got news of their waiver claims and began forming their practice squads. There was a bonus -- Alex Smith got paid and Ryan Mallett got traded.

Cardinals:

Arizona Cardinals sign former San Diego Chargers OLB Thomas Keiser - ESPN
He played against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, but now outside linebacker Thomas Keiser will get an opportunity to play for the Cardinals against his former team in the regular-season opener on Monday night.

Coversation with Arizona Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim

From offseason planning to training-camp adjustments, — including the actions taken in the aftermath of the Darnell Dockett injury —life is rarely dull for Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim.

Larry Fitzgerald hopes to get back into 'flow' for Arizona Cardinals in 2014

"We're getting good work in," Fitzgerald said. "You have to do everything you can to make sure you have high energy levels."

NFL:

Ryan Mallett traded to Texans from Patriots, per report - SBNation.com

Ryan Mallett is headed to Houston, where he could compete for a starting job against Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Alex Smith signs 4-year, $68 million contract extension with Chiefs - SBNation.com

Alex Smith is locked in as the Chiefs' starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, on a contract that will earn him $45 million in guarantees.

NFL waiver claim and practice squad tracker: All the action since Saturday's roster deadline - SBNation.com

Just because Saturday's 53-man roster deadline has passed doesn't mean NFL teams are sitting tight. Big names are being processed through waivers ahead of Thursday's regular-season kickoff.