TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - The Arizona Cardinals’ bad injury situation got worse on Wednesday when starting left tackle D.J. Humphries was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.
The move leaves rookie center Mason Cole as the only remaining member of the offensive line that began the season, and he took over late in the preseason when starter A.Q. Shipley went down with a season-ending knee injury. Guards Mike Iupati and Justin Pugh are on injured reserve and tackle Andre Smith was released.
Earlier this week, rookie Christian Kirk went on IR with a broken foot, depleting an already thin wide receiver group.
Humphries is the 14th Cardinal, and sixth offensive lineman, to go on injured reserve.
Coach Steve Wilks had insisted over the past two weeks that he was hopeful Humphries would play but it never happened.
“I think you always have to be hopeful in hoping that he can come back and really finish the year off,” Wilks said after Wednesday’s practice. “Talking to (head athletic trainer) Tom (Reed), talking to the doctors, they thought it was the best thing for him just to be able to shut it down, so he doesn’t have major surgery and have a setback for next year.”
No surgery is planned, at least not yet, Wilks said.
Four of the five offensive linemen who will start for Arizona on Sunday against Detroit are rookies.
Seventh-round draft pick Korey Cunningham is the left tackle, with Will Holden - a former Cardinal and the only non-rookie in the group - re-signed last week and started at right tackle three days later.
Colby Gossett, an undrafted rookie free agent signed off the Minnesota practice squad on Oct. 30, made his NFL debut in last Sunday’s 20-17 win at Green Bay and will be the left guard Sunday when Arizona hosts Detroit. Oday Aboushi, another undrafted rookie free agent, was signed by the Cardinals on Oct. 23 and will be the right guard.
Arizona rushed for a season-best 187 yards behind the makeshift line and quarterback Josh Rosen expressed confidence in them.
Rosen will miss his friend Kirk, though.
“It’s a big bummer,” Rosen said. “I was hanging out with him last night. It’s a bummer for the Cardinals and everything, but for him as well because he was starting to hit his stride. He was starting to really feel comfortable out there, and we were getting that connection.”
Rosen, though, said, he was “very confident that he (Kirk) will come back stronger than ever.”
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