The injury bug is already starting to infect the Arizona Cardinals' training camp. In just the first padded practice, Arizona lost defensive lineman P.J. Mustipher to a foot injury, effectively ending his 2026 season before it even starts after being placed on IR.
The Cardinals also lost cornerback Jaden Davis for the season, placing him on IR as well after suffering an undisclosed injury. To replace Davis, they've signed UFL standout cornerback Quinton Newsome. For Mustipher, that replacement appears to be the signing of defensive lineman Brodric Martin.
Cardinals replace P.J. Mustipher with Brodric Martin
Zach Gershman of ArizonaCardinals.com reported that it was already going to be challenging for Mustipher to make the 53-man roster. Arizona has signed Roy Lopez and Andrew Billings, and Gershman adds that teams "don't typically have three nose tackles on the roster."
But Mustipher exceeded expectations last season and, unfortunately, no longer has the opportunity to continue that trend in 2026.
He went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Penn State, bouncing around the league with stops with the Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, and Philadelphia Eagles before ultimately landing in Arizona. In 2023, he played just four games with the Saints, totaling four tackles.
That's why this injury hurts even more, as he's one of those underdog stories who finally found the ideal landing spot with the Cardinals. He played 15 games last season with Arizona, recording 32 tackles.
Cardinals defensive line takes another hit
At least the Cardinals have depth to overcome the positional blow after signing Lopez and Billings, but this already marks the second injury on the defensive line before the season even starts.
The Cardinals also lost this year's fourth-round draft pick, Kaleb Proctor, to a meniscus tear suffered during OTAs. Back in June, new head coach Mike LaFleur said that Proctor will miss "quite a bit of time" with this injury, even potentially putting his entire rookie campaign in jeopardy.
As we noted with Davis' brutal season-ending injury, the silver lining, if there is one, is that it gives Newsome a chance to realize his NFL dreams after thriving in the UFL. The same can be said for Martin following the Mustipher injury.
Coming out of Western Kentucky, Martin was a third-round selection by the Detroit Lions in 2023. He hasn't made a meaningful impact since then, totaling just five games played over the course of his career.
Still, this is a worthwhile signing for the Cardinals to take a chance on someone with a third-round draft pedigree, especially as the injuries start to pile up on the defensive line.
With Gershman noting that Mustipher faced a battle to make the 53-man roster now that the Cardinals have Lopez and Billings, one would assume the same logic applies to Martin. Likely even more so, considering Mustipher was a contributor to Arizona's defense throughout last season while Martin has yet to make a meaningful impact in the NFL.
Nonetheless, it's a worthwhile addition as the Cardinals give themselves more options to address this injured defensive front.
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