Cardinals re-sign Starling Thomas and expand practice squad with 13 others

The Arizona Cardinals brought back Starling Thomas and 13 additional players to their practice squad on Monday, continuing a roster reset that follows the team’s final evaluation period ahead of the 53-man cutdown. The move keeps a large pool of familiar bodies in place for week-to-week preparation and gives the organization additional flexibility as practices and personnel needs evolve.

According to the team’s announcement, Starling Thomas was among those re-signed to the practice squad. The Cardinals also returned RB Hull and OL Pryor, indicating the club is prioritizing continuity on both offense and the trenches while refining which players can contribute most effectively during the season’s first stretch.

The decision comes after the Cardinals conducted what the team characterized as difficult end-of-roster conversations. Head coach Mike LaFleur and general manager Monti Ossenfort met with 34 players on Sunday to inform them they would not make the 53-man roster, a reminder that the final cut is as much about managing opportunities as it is about performance.

Practice squad additions often function as both a reward and a development path. For players, the re-signing means the team believes they have a skill set that can be coached for the NFL level, even if they were not in the final rotation for the opening 53. For Arizona, it creates continuity for scout-team work, position-group installs, and situational reps that can matter later if injuries or matchups require changes.

This roster phase is also closely watched because practice-squad eligibility can shift quickly as teams navigate the grind of the regular season. Re-signing 14 players to the practice squad suggests the Cardinals want a deep group available for consistent practice execution rather than relying solely on temporary call-ups from outside the organization.

The Cardinals’ approach also reflects how teams balance immediate readiness with longer-term planning. Offensive and line depth, in particular, can be difficult to maintain over a long season, so adding players like Hull and Pryor to the practice squad keeps the pipeline active while the coaching staff continues to sort out fit, technique, and learning speed.

What to watch next is how Arizona uses the practice squad in the days immediately ahead of the season. Practice-squad players can become prominent in weekly game planning, especially when the coaching staff needs extra reps at specific positions or roles.

Any follow-up will also clarify whether the Cardinals keep building from within or look for additional players to address specific needs as the season progresses. For now, the organization has indicated stability by returning Thomas, Hull, and Pryor, while expanding the practice-squad group to 14 through Monday’s transaction.