Cardinals Add OL Ahead of Rams Matchup

The Arizona Cardinals signed an offensive lineman to their practice squad.

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona Cardinals helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals officially announced the signing of OL Matthew Jones to the practice squad today.

More on Jones from the team's release:

"Jones (6-3, 320) originally signed with the Dolphins in May as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Ohio State and spent the offseason with Miami. He appeared in 53 games (29 starts) in five seasons (2019-23) with the Buckeyes where he was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree (2022-23) and started in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship. 

"Jones will wear jersey #79."

The Cardinals recently placed both Paris Johnson Jr. and Jonah Williams on injured reserve, effectively ending their season. Arizona also elevated practice squad tackle Jackson Barton to the active roster while Charlie Heck was signed by the San Francisco 49ers from the practice squad.

Needless to say, there's been a lot of shuffling around Arizona's OL depth in recent days. With two weeks left in the regular season, the Cardinals will see an entirely different setup (from top to bottom) than they entered the season with.

It's up to head coach Jonathan Gannon and his coaching staff to maximize whoever will step foot on the field for Arizona.

“I think always, ourselves and as a staff, we evaluate every week are we putting our guys in a position to be successful. That's our standpoint. Coaching the details, being on it, and then from a playing standpoint is executing what you're coached to do, winning one-on-ones, knowing your opponent and displaying winning behavior on a day-to-day basis," said Gannon.

"You have to maximize the day, and it takes all of us to operate at a really high level to try to win a game. Obviously, in the last however (many weeks) we haven't collectively done that well enough, so we've got another opportunity to go out and do it.”

The Cardinals are in Los Angeles this weekend to face the Rams in Week 17.