The Arizona Cardinals are getting thin at safety. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson did not play in their Week 1 win, and Kitan Crawford exited the game with an ankle injury. With only three healthy safeties on their roster, the Cardinals have signed Jerrick Reed II to the practice squad, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
“The Cardinals are signing DB Jerrick Reed II to the practice squad, per source,” Pelissero posted on Threads.
Reed, 26, entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons with the Seahawks before going to the Tennessee Titans off waivers last November. After failing to make the Titans roster, he spent a week on their practice squad before getting released.
The fourth-year safety doesn’t have much experience playing under Mike Macdonald. He played in five games with Seattle before getting waived by the team in November. But certainly Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will take any intel he can provide this week.
The Cardinals later announced the signing as part of a series of moves before their Week 2 practices.
Cardinals Sign Jerrick Reed II Before Week 2 Practices
The Cardinals brought in Jerrick Reed II for a workout on September 8, per Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer. Following the Kitan Crawford injury news, they’ll add a safety to their practice squad.
Arizona had an open spot on their practice squad entering this week. They have 16 players, but offensive lineman Valentin Senn doesn’t count toward that due to his roster exemption. The Austrian lineman is a participant in the NFL’s International Pathway Program.
The Cardinals had no safeties on their practice squad before today. They had four active players for the Chargers game: Budda Baker, Andrew Wingard, Kitan Crawford, and Wydett Williams Jr.
Reed has played in 23 games, including one start, giving them a bit more of an experienced option. Arizona could elevate him ahead of their Week 2 game.
There should be more on Taylor-Demerson’s status when the Cardinals begin their practices ahead of their game against the Seahawks.
Arizona Cardinals Right Now
The Cardinals face Jerrick Reed’s old team, the Seahawks, in Week 2. That should provide Arizona with a tough test, as they’ll take on the best the NFC West has to offer in back-to-back games.
The team certainly got a boost from taking down the Chargers. The question is how much they can sustain that momentum against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Arizona hosts Seattle at State Farm Stadium on September 20.
Cardinals Sign Ex-Seahawks Safety Amid Kitan Crawford Injury News