Cardinals make more changes in O-line
A day after allowing two sacks during the Arizona Cardinals’ 45-10 loss to the Chargers, veteran starting right tackle Andre Smith was released and Arizona anointed rookie Korey Cunningham, a seventh-round pick out of the University of Cincinnati, as the new starter on the right side of a banged-up offensive line.
“He’s getting the opportunity because he deserves it. He’s proven himself,” head coach Steve Wilks said.
Wilks better be right, because rookie quarterback Josh Rosen has been getting hit a ton this season. Cunningham started the past two weeks at left tackle, filling in for the injured D.J. Humphries. It’s the only action Cunningham has seen this year, but he held his own in losses to the Raiders and Chargers. In that game, he took turns fending off a pair of elite edge rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
“I always like a challenge,” Cunningham said. “I knew it was going to be a handful. I know those are two of the most elite guys in the league. I knew coming in I’d have my hands full, but you’ve just got to trust your coaching and trust your technique.”
Cunningham was a tight end upon entering college, but eventually moved to tackle and started putting on weight. He now stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 305 pounds. He played both tackle positions and is now getting the chance to do the same in his first NFL season.
“I try not to think about being a seventh-round pick,” Cunningham said. “Once you get in the building, it’s a clean slate. I wanted to come in here with a clean slate, try not to think about that (where he was drafted) as much as I’m just another guy in the room.
“I knew one day my number was going to get called. I didn’t know it was going to be this soon, but I’m glad it did.”
Smith, 31, signed a two-year free-agent deal with the Cardinals last spring worth $8 million, but he had been dealing with injuries and inconsistent play since the start of the season, prompting his release on Monday. The Cardinals also cut veteran defensive back Bene’ Benwikere, who had been burned on several pass plays the past few weeks.
“Coming in, you have expectations for those guys,” Wilks said. “As the year has gone on, you’ve seen the inconsistency there. You can continue to sit there and allow that to happen and as a head coach, it’s my responsibility to try and do what’s best for this team and that’s the reason why I made the decisions.
“I think right now when you’re sitting here at 2-9, in my view, you’ve got to try everything you can to win a football game but also look to the future.”
Asked if releasing two veterans on the heels of cutting another one a week earlier in cornerback Jamar Taylor sends a message to the rest of his players, Wilks said it had nothing to do with sending a message.
“I’m not really in the business of trying to send messages or trying to be subliminal in any way,” he said. “I’m very direct in my approach and the things that I say and if you’re not doing it our way, if you’re not giving us the best opportunity to win football games, No. 1 you won’t be on the field. And if it gets to that point, we’ll move on and that’s what we did.”
SERIES HISTORY: 72nd regular-season meeting. Packers lead series, 44-23-4. This is the second-oldest rivalry in NFL history. It dates back to 1921, Green Bay’s first season in the American Professional Football Association. Overall, the two teams have met 74 times in the regular season, but in 1944, the Cardinals fielded a team along with the Steelers that met Green Bay twice and those games aren’t included in the official series. This will be just the Cardinals’ seventh game ever at Lambeau Field. They first played there in 1969, but just five times in the 48 years since.
