Cardinals Kerry Taylor Fills In Nicely for Larry Fitzgerald

Sep 15, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Lions free safety Louis Delmas (26) breaks up a pass intended for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

When the Arizona Cardinals announced on Saturday they had signed wide receiver Kerry Taylor off of the practice squad, to me it was an insurance move in case Larry Fitzgerald couldn’t play or aggravated his hamstring injury.  Although no one came out ans said it, you could read between the lines.  Turns out, it was the right move.

As a U of A guy myself, no one was more disappointed that the Cards didn’t put Taylor, the ASU product, on their initial 53-man roster.  He worked hard in the preseason and I felt he had done enough to make this team.  It was only a matter of time before Taylor would get his chance I felt once he was signed to the practice squad.  Turns out, he only had to wait two weeks.

Fitzgerald did give it a go Sunday in the 25-21 victory over the Detroit Lions.  However he only took in two passes but had to stretch on a couple of other targeted balls he failed to catch.  When he was being worked on by trainers on the sidelines early in the second half, it was clear he was not long for today’s game.  Then came word he was going to be questionable for the remainder of the game.  That’s when Taylor made his way into the game.

Taylor took in three catches for 40 yards.  A couple of those grabs were reminiscent of the balls he caught so impressively in the preseason.  I think with today’s game at least, Taylor has shown he deserves to remain on the 53-man roster even when Fitz is 100 percent.  For his part, Fitz did say after the game he’d be ready to go next week.  We’ll see.  It’s still seven days away.  This could be the start of something special for Taylor though.  Good for him.