After the distressing release of stud offensive lineman Pete Kendall during training camp, and the passing on a franchise signal caller in the NFL draft for a wide receiver - a position seemingly the least need on the team - it was actually pleasant to hear that Denny Green didn’t give anyone of note the boot in Arizona.
Coach Green has been tailor-making this team the way he wants it to be, releasing whoever he wants to at will, promoting aging players to starting jobs, putting untested rookies in starting roles, and adding the best talent he can find. So when you hear that on the day in which NFL roster limits are set, it is quite eerie that Green didn’t make a splash in the media by releasing someone of note.
Among the most notable cuts came from the defensive end position where ex-third-round pick Dennis Johnson and fifth-round pick Antonio Smith were both cut Sunday. Undrafted free agent Russ Kolodziej impressed Green during training camp and was rewarded with his hard work and high motor with a roster spot over the injured Smith and underachieving Johnson. Peppi Zellner also was granted a roster spot.
Other cuts included running back Damien Anderson, whose performance this pre-season was horrific. Take away the 29-yard scamper he had and his average was 1.8 yards per carry. After brief success with Seattle and Denver, receiver Kevin Kasper was released after recording one catch in seven games last season, leaving the Cardinals with no receivers left on their roster from their 2002-2003 season.
Somehow it isn’t shocking though, considering how poor this franchise has been the past few seasons and how no wide receiver on those rosters was deserving of a roster spot.
The real news in Arizona this week came from injuries, when former Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson and defensive tackle Kenny King were placed on injured reserve. Jackson led the team with six interceptions in 2003, accounting for nearly half of the Cardinals 13 interceptions last season. He will be replaced in the lineup by former Redskin Ifeanyi Ohalete.
