Cardinals Place Justin Jones On Injured Reserve

Any triceps injury for a defensive player — who reaches to tackle the opponent — is a dangerous situation.

And the Cardinals felt that Sunday, when starting defensive lineman Justin Jones hurt his triceps. Jones was officially placed on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, and coach Jonathan Gannon said Jones will miss the rest of the season.

To replace him on the roster, the Cardinals brought back veteran defensive lineman Naquan Jones, who had been on the Dolphins’ practice squad since the Cards released him at the end of the preseason.

Naquan Jones played in four games for the Cardinals last year, making one start.

Justin Jones had played 39 straight games including every game in 2022 and 2023 with the Bears. He signed a three-year free agent contract with the Cardinals in the spring for nearly $20 million in guaranteed money. The team had made him the linchpin of their defensive line revamp.

Last season, the Cardinals lost two defensive linemen — L.J. Collier and Carlos Watkins — to season-ending biceps injuries within the first two weeks of the season.

Gannon was asked if starting right tackle Jonah Williams (knee) will return this season. “We’ll see,” Gannon said, adding he didn’t want to get into hypotheticals. Williams is on IR and could return as soon as Week 6. The Cardinals, because of injuries, have used four different right tackles already in three games, including three different starters.