Cardinals promote Kerry Taylor in case Larry Fitzgerald is out

The Arizona Cardinals have promoted wide receiver Kerry Taylor from the practice squad to the 53-man roster in lieu of Larry Fitzgerald’s hamstring injury. Fitzgerald is listed questionable for today’s game against the Detroit Lions, and the fact that Taylor is being used as insurance means that we should watch extremely closely for Fitzgerald’s status.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) catches a pass for a first down against the St. Louis Rams during the second half at Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Cardinals 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Taylor was part of the Cardinals 53-man cutdown, but he looked like an intriguing player in August and definitely deserved to hang around on the practice squad. The 24-year-old Arizona State product hasn’t played a game since being picked up as an undrafted free agent in 2011, and he spent time with two NFC North teams in the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings prior to being picked up by the Cardinals.

This signing means that Larry Fitzgerald’s status is in more doubt, and his designation should be viewed as lower than questionable. Teams don’t promote players from their practice squad the day before the game for no reason, and this is definitely an insurance move at the wide receiver position. The Cardinals are so good at receiver that they came out of the preseason with just four, so this just might be an insurance move in general. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for further updates on Fitzgerald’s status, and I would consider him a game-time decision at this point.

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