5 Players for Cardinals to Claim off Waivers

With all 32 teams in the NFL having trimmed their rosters down to 53 players, their next step is to adjust their rosters accordingly with the pool of players recently released.

Players with under four accrued seasons (six active games in any given season) of experience are subject to waivers. Players with more than four accrued seasons become unrestricted free agents upon being released and can sign with any team immediately.

The Arizona Cardinals are expected to be very active in the waiver wire as they are third in the pecking order with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans as the only two teams above them.

Here are five players for the Cardinals to claim off the waiver wire:

Demetric Felton - Running Back

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After the Cardinals surprisingly released Corey Clement, they now have three running backs on the roster that includes James Conner, Keaontay Ingram, and undrafted rookie Emari Demercado. They should add a fourth running back to their roster and that could very well be Demetric Felton, the Browns’ 2021 sixth-round pick. Felton is familiar with Cardinals’ offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who was Cleveland’s tight ends and quarterbacks coach the last two year. He has both running back and wide receiver experience.

Zonovan “Bam” Knight - Running Back

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With Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, Michael Carter, and rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda, the New York Jets have one of the more talented running back rooms in the NFL. Lost in the numbers game, Zonovan Knight was already going to be the odd-man out of their group. The undrafted free agent out of North Carolina State had 400 total scrimmage yards and a touchdown with the Jets last season. Knight is, at the very least, a No. 3 running back on any other team’s depth chart

Michael Ojemudia - Cornerback

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Marco Wilson, rookie Kei’Trel Clark, and 30-year-old Antonio Hamilton are their top three cornerbacks. Rookie third-round pick Garrett Williams remains on the non-football injury (NFI) list. Their top three cornerbacks have much to prove but their backups leave a lot to be desired. Second-year cornerback Christian Matthew struggled in the preseason, and does not bring much to the table on special teams. Kris Boyd is primarily a special teams player. This is where Michael Ojemudia comes in. He is a tall (6’1’’ 200lbs) 25-year-old cornerback with 12 careers starts. He was one of the better cornerbacks in the preseason with an 82.7 coverage grade given by Pro Football Focus.

Cameron Tom - Center

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After placing rookie fourth-round pick Jon Gaines II on season-ending injured reserve, the Cardinals will be in search for a backup center behind starter Hjalte Froholdt. Cameron Tom, the former Saint, Dolphin, and Eagle was waived by Philadelphia despite having a quietly good preseason. The 28-year-old center played in 13 career regular season games with one start. Similar to Gaines, Cameron Tom is very athletic for the position having clocked a 4.89 40 at his Pro Day in 2017.

K’Von Wallace - Safety

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The Cardinals have a big need at safety after the trade of Isaiah Simmons to the New York Giants. K’Von Wallace, a former fourth-round pick, was coached by Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis the last two years with the Eagles. Now they are a head coach and defensive coordinator for Arizona respectively. Wallace was a standout special teams player in Philadelphia and his familiarity with some of the Cardinals’ staff should help him acclimate to their defensive playbook rather quickly. Wallace would also reunite with Kyzir White, his former Eagles’ teammate who is the Cardinals’ defensive signal caller as a starting inside linebacker.