GLENDALE — Not even two full days into training camp, the Arizona Cardinals have an injury to a key player.
Shortly after head coach Kliff Kingsbury said all players reported and passed the team’s conditioning test on Tuesday, Arizona announced it was placing offseason acquisition Hollywood Brown on the active non-football injury list.
It was a move not many saw coming.
Kingsbury said the injury occurred last week while the receiver was running routes and working out on his own.
But ahead of training camp on Wednesday, the head coach didn’t seem overly concerned with where Brown stands in terms of the injury.
“I think he just tweaked something and I expect him to be back sooner than later,” Kingsbury said.
“I think we’re just being precautionary. We know when he practices, he practices hard and he’s going to put in the work,” the head coach added. “We want to make sure when he comes back he’s full strength.”
Already down Brown for at least one practice and having to keep DeAndre Hopkins seemingly on a snap count thanks to his suspension to start the season — though he plans to practice Wednesday — losing another pair of hands at the start of camp is not what Arizona envisioned.
But while the situation is not ideal, there are opportunities to be had for some of the younger players fighting for snaps and roster spots.
“We want to make sure we’re getting (Rondale Moore) a bunch of looks, whether it’s inside, outside,” Kingsbury said. “(Antoine Wesley is) a guy that stepped up last year, played at a high level. Greg Dortch, another guy that came in when his number was called.
“Those are three that jump off that know the system. They played in games, played well in games, and just want to see them take the next step. I think they’ll get a really good opportunity this first couple weeks.”