The Arizona Cardinals have until 6:00 p.m. ET to submit their 53-man roster. But they’ll make one addition to their roster, as NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports the Cardinals have traded for Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Hunter Long.
Rapoport then adds that the Cardinals will trade a 2028 sixth-rounder to Jacksonville, while getting Long and a 2028 seventh-rounder.
Long, 28, entered the league as a third-round pick by the Miami Dolphins. He spent two seasons with Miami before heading to the Los Angeles Rams. He spent two seasons there before moving on to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Throughout his NFL career, Long has caught 20 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came last season. Long did not play in the Cardinals vs. Jaguars game last season.
What the Hunter Long Trade Means for the Cardinals
The Cardinals get a tight end who is familiar with head coach Mike LaFleur’s offense. Hunter Long spent two seasons in Los Angeles under LaFleur, who was the offensive coordinator.
Adding a player with past familiarity with the offense should speed up his integration into the offense. It’s still two weeks before the Cardinals play their first game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers.
It also speaks to the likelihood that Tip Reiman will start the 2026 season on the reserve Physically Unable to Perform list. The third-year tight end would miss the first four games in that scenario.
Reiman is still recovering from a right ankle injury sustained in the Cardinals’ heartbreaking loss to the Tennessee Titans during the 2025 season. The injury required surgery to address.
Arizona had two locks to make the roster at the tight end position between All-Pro Trey McBride and Elijah Higgins. Adding a tight end ahead of final cuts suggests they want more depth and could run multiple tight end personnel groupings.
The Rams ran a lot of two and three tight end sets under Sean McVay and LaFleur last year. Theoretically, Long serves as a third tight end on the depth chart.
The trade also likely means the other tight ends on the roster are likely to get cut. The team has Rivaldo Fairweather, Teagan Quitoriano, and Shawn Bowman on their camp roster at the position.
Depending on how roster cuts shake out, the Cardinals could add one of their tight ends to the practice squad.
Cardinals Trade for Jaguars Tight End on Cutdown Day