BJ

Ojulari

Neither will (inhale): CB Max Melton (concussion), LB BJ Ojulari (knee), or LB Mack Wilson (ribs) — the good news is that Budda Baker (hamstring) upgraded to full today and has been removed from the injury report. Arizona’s defense looked good against the Cowboys on Monday night, but their cornerback depth will be tested against Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed.

It’s a brutal blow to a Cardinals defense that will also be without starting cornerback Max Melton (concussion). The Cardinals will need to make due with backups Kei’Trel Clark and Elijah Jones against a Seahawks offense that is fresh off a dominant performance against the Commanders in which Sam Darnold threw for 330-4-1 while completing 70.4 percent of his passes. In addition to Johnson and Melton being out, the Cardinals will also keep LB BJ Ojulari (knee) sidelined for at least one more week after he was limited in every practice.

Ojulari suffered a torn ACL early in training camp last year. He began the 2025 season on the PUP list and is now eligible to return. By opening his practice window, the Cardinals have three weeks to officially activate him from PUP. Defensive tackle Walter Nolen has also been designated to return, meaning the Cardinals could be getting multiple upgrades on defense over the next few weeks.

Arizona’s No. 16 overall pick will head to the sidelines for the start of his first training camp as a pro. Nolen was a high-ceiling defensive tackle at Ole Miss who needed to show more consistency in his game. A lack of practice time isn’t going to do him any favors. Though the Cardinals’ defense should improve in Gannon’s second year on the headset, they aren’t off to a great start. Linebacker BJ Ojulari and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols were also placed on the PUP list.

Ojulari was expected to take a second-year leap with the Cards after totaling four sacks and five TFLs as a rookie last season. The 2023 second-round pick reportedly suffered his injury during Friday’s training camp practice and was confirmed out for the season shortly after. Rookie Darius Robinson, who the team selected with the No. 27 overall pick in this year’s draft, will likely be tasked with filling a bigger role in Ojulari’s absence.

Gannon opted to forego any competitive advantage he might have by withholding this news until game day to let us know his team’s rookie second-round pick will be ready to go to start the season. Ojulari was activated from the PUP list in early August after undergoing knee surgery earlier in the offseason, but has done well in his recovery since then. The Cardinals will hope he can provide some much-needed pressure up front against a Commanders offensive line that struggled to protect the quarterback last season.

Ojulari landed on the PUP list at the start of camp as he continued to recover from an offseason procedure to clean up his knee. Ojulari was selected by the Cardinals with the No. 41 overall pick in this year’s draft and is expected to make an immediate impact as a pass rusher. Now healthy, Ojulari will work on getting up to speed in camp with the team’s Week 1 matchup at the Commanders little more than a month away.

Kyler was joined on the PUP list by Zach Ertz and B.J. Ojulari. All three players can be activated from the list at any time during camp. The move isn’t a surprise as Murray is still working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 14. He doesn’t look likely to be ready for Week 1 which leaves Arizona with a decision to make once training camp ends. If they keep him on the PUP list to start the season, he will be forced to miss at least four games. If they activate Murray, they have to burn a roster spot until he is ready to play. Murray is a high-upside bet at quarterback, but it’s hard to justify holding onto a zero to start the year until the final rounds of fantasy drafts.

Ojulari (6’2/248) has winning bloodlines, as his brother Aziz is a former second-round edge rusher from Georgia. A technical marvel, Ojulari approaches the diversity of his rush package with a creative mindset. He loves exploiting the outside shoulder of blockers with his burst but can plant and cross face in an instant thanks to his ability to sharply corner. His 34.25” arms and 10.5” hands help Ojulari to latch onto ball carriers and smother them like a lion taking down a gazelle, as his minuscule 2.9% missed tackle rate from the 2021 campaign will attest. His production profile was superb as well, generating 103 pressures over the last two seasons from an almost exclusively wide alignment. On the contrary, Ojulari wins with speed and savvy but is going to have trouble overpowering NFL tackles unless he rocks up his frame a bit more.

Ojulari (6'2/222) specifically ticked off LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee when speaking with 247Sports. He has an immediate family tie in Athens, as his older brother Azeez plays linebacker for the Bulldogs. The majority of his future visitation schedule remains very much in flux, with only a fall official to Alabama currently on the docket. Unofficially, he has checked in with Auburn, Bama, LSU and Florida during the offseason. Ojulari is fresh off a standout performance at The Opening Finals and currently ranks as the No. 193 overall prospect in the 2020 class on the 247Sports composite board. He should be considered a hot recruit at this juncture, one who could be in for a rankings climb this fall.