The Arizona Cardinals coaching staff made some truly difficult calls this past week, slicing almost 40 guys from the roster to hit that 53-man limit. But the real kicker for new head coach Mike LaFleur and the whole staff? Linebacker Owen Pappoe, who absolutely balled out in the exhibition phase, is the *only* player they released who landed on another team’s main roster. He is now a Tennessee Titan, and man, that has gotta sting a little for the desert faithful.
The One That Got Away: Pappoe’s Impressive Run and Tough Exit
Owen Pappoe absolutely lit up training camp and had some excellent games in the exhibition phase. Remember those four tackles and two batted passes he snagged against the Packers? Or that monster game against the Cowboys, where he led the whole team with ten tackles? He even added three more against the Raiders and a solo tackle in the Hall of Fame Game. This dude was showing up! The problem, as the Cardinals coaching staff saw it, was a brutal logjam at linebacker. Rookie Karson Sharar and veteran Eku Leona reportedly outplayed him, making him the odd man out despite his stellar play. Now, he is the *only* guy cut from Arizona who made another club’s main roster, heading to the Tennessee Titans. That is a gut punch, right? You have gotta wonder if LaFleur will regret letting that kind of production walk out the door, especially when the kid proved he belonged somewhere else.
QB Quandaries and Defensive Back Dilemmas
Then you have got the quarterback room. Kedon Slovis had a solid camp and a respectable preseason, but it is a brutal numbers game. Most teams only roll with three QBs, and once rookie Carson Beck went off in the Hall of Fame Game, Slovis was the odd man out. Lucky for him, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur saw something he liked during joint practices and scooped him up for their practice squad. Green Bay only kept Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor on the main roster, so Slovis could actually get a shot. The Cardinals, to their credit, can still claim Slovis if one of their retained QBs gets dinged up. Smart move to keep that door ajar, I guess.
Over on defense, Sean Murphy-Bunting is another head-scratcher. This guy actually restructured his deal to stick around in Tempe, only to get cut anyway. He just did not pop in camp or preseason, even against second-stringers, landing on the Bucs’ practice squad. This one is complicated. The Cardinals dropped a valuable second-round pick on him back in 2019, and he was legit early, snatching three picks in his rookie year and racking up 70 tackles in year two. But after his rookie contract, things just were not the same once he re-signed in 2024. Not playing at all last year certainly did not help his case, especially with Garrett Williams back adding talent to the secondary. It is a tough business, man.
So, with almost 40 players gone, including a guy like Pappoe now on another squad’s main roster, the real question is how these tough roster calls will play out. New head coach Mike LaFleur has made his choices, and the entire season will hinge on whether those who stayed can step up, or if guys like Pappoe will be stars elsewhere. It is early days, but these decisions are foundational for what is to come, and Cardinals fans are gonna be watching every snap to see if they got it right.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Revenge of the Birds.
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