Cardinals director of college scouting Ryan Gold is currently under investigation by the Arizona Department of Gaming in connection with inside-information and betting allegations that have him suspended from his job. Via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, Massachusetts is looking into the situation, too.
Per the report, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is exploring “unusual betting patterns” in the state.
Gold’s lawyer, Mike Caspino, continues to assert Gold’s innocence.
“There is absolutely zero substance to the claims made against Ryan Gold,” Caspino told Weinfuss. “The NFL’s investigation is so deeply flawed and so wrong. He will be vindicated next month in our appeal.”
The hearing on Gold’s appeal is set for September 23.
As Weinfuss notes, Gold grew up in Massachusetts. He attended the University of Massachusetts before coaching there from 2011 to 2013.
Gold was accused by the NFL of sharing inside information regarding the team’s plan to make Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love the third overall pick in the 2026 draft. Caspino has said that only owner Michael Bidwill and G.M. Monti Ossenfort knew the team’s plans.
Cardinals Clips
The Cardinals will have their third starting quarterback in as many preseason games when they face the Cowboys on Saturday.
Head coach Mike LaFleur told reporters on Thursday that Gardner Minshew will get the start against Dallas. Rookie Carson Beck started the Hall of Fame Game and Jacoby Brissett started last week.
Beck injured his ribs in the opener and did not play in the team’s second preseason game. LaFleur said that Beck is expected to throw on Thursday and has not been ruled out for this week, but he is unlikely to play.
LaFleur said some of the team’s other starters will play, although first-round pick Jeremiyah Love will not be among them because the running back is recovering from an ankle injury.
The Cardinals activated cornerback Garrett Williams from the active/physically unable to perform list, the team announced Thursday.
Williams now has 24 days to get ready for Week 1 against the Chargers.
Coach Mike LaFleur said in June that Williams had a shot to play the season opener.
Williams tore an Achilles on Dec. 21 against the Falcons. He missed five games earlier last season with a knee injury.
In 10 games last season, Williams had an interception, five pass breakups, a forced fumble and 46 tackles.
Outside linebacker Josh Sweat (knee) and tight end Tip Reiman (ankle) are the only Cardinals remaining on the active/PUP list. LaFleur has been steadfast in his confidence of Sweat’s return, noting “whether you believe me or not, I’m not worried about him for Sept. 13, at all.”
Last month, the federal judge handling the Brian Flores case sent a very clear message to the NFL that it was time to end the arbitration quest and start defending the claims on the merits.
The NFL didn’t get the message. At least not completely.
While some of the claims in the Flores case have moved to the discovery process, the league has appealed Judge Valerie Caproni’s most recent ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit as to Flores’s claims against the Dolphins, Steve Wilks’s claims against the Cardinals, and Ray Horton’s claims against the Titans.
In all three cases, the plaintiffs had contracts with those teams containing arbitration clauses that referred any disputes to the Commissioner or his designee. Still, the overriding problem (as multiple courts have concluded) comes from the effort to delegate the judge/jury role to the NFL.
There’s a big difference between arguing to the court and arguing with the court. The NFL currently seems to be trying to convince multiple courts that they’re wrong.
Either way, multiple claims in the Flores case will continue to be stuck at square one. Which will serve only to slow down any effort to get the four-year-old case ready for trial.
Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck is not yet ready to practice.
Head coach Mike LaFleur told reporters on Sunday that Beck is still day-to-day with his rib injury.
“Full transparency, the discomfort is still kind of there,” LaFleur said, via Darren Urban of the team’s website. “We want to let him heal a little bit.”
LaFleur again noted that the team does not feel Beck’s injury will keep him out long-term. The rookie quarterback was injured during the Hall of Fame Game and did not play in Thursday’s matchup against the Raiders.
Beck completed 15-of-19 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown in his preseason debut.
Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love, the third pick in the 2026 draft, had 14 touches in his preseason debut on Thursday night. It could delay his regular-season debut.
Love now has a high ankle sprain, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Cardinals hope he can return in four weeks, for a Week 1 game at the Chargers.
Earlier in the day, Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur declined to say whether the ankle injury was a low sprain or a high sprain. The high ankle sprain typically takes longer to heal.
On Saturday, the Cardinals worked out a trio of running backs — Montrell Stewart, Blake Watson, and Tre Stewart. They signed Stewart.
The other tailbacks on the roster include veteran James Conner and free-agent acquisition Tyler Allegier.
It’s official: Cardinals rookie guard Chase Bisontis will miss his entire rookie season. The team placed the second-round pick on season-ending injured reserve Saturday.
He tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Thursday night. The Cardinals could have waited to put him on IR until final cuts to give him a chance to come back late in the season, but decided not to rush him back post-surgery.
“He will be out for a good amount of time, if not the whole year,” coach Mike LaFleur said Saturday, via Darren Urban of the team website. “Sucks for him. Always think about the player first. Sucks for the Cardinals, too. He’s a good player, but more importantly, you hate it for the player.”
The Cardinals listed Bisontis as the second-team right guard, but he was competing with Isaiah Adams for the starting job. Jon Gaines II and Hayden Conner are the next in line at guard.
The Cardinals also placed linebacker Austin Keys (undisclosed) and tight end Jameson Geers (thumb) on injured reserve.
In corresponding moves, the Cardinals signed tight end Baylor Cupp, running back Tre Stewart and defensive lineman Keveion’ta Spears.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said on Thursday night that rookie running back Jeremiyah Love could have returned to the team’s preseason game against the Raiders after injuring his ankle, but the injury has turned out to be a bit more serious.
LaFleur told reporters on Saturday morning that Love’s ankle is a “little more sore” and that he will miss at least the next week of work as a result. That will keep Love out for next Saturday’s preseason game against the Cowboys.
LaFleur would not commit to Love’s return ahead of the team’s third preseason game and said that they will re-evaluate the third overall pick’s status down the line.
Tyler Allgeier, James Connor, Trey Benson, Bam Knight, Evan Hull, and Corey Kiner are the other backs in Arizona.
Cardinals second-round offensive guard Chase Bisontis will miss most, or possibly all, of his rookie season.
NFL Media reports that an MRI revealed a torn MCL for Bisontis, which will require surgery.
The Cardinals listed Bisontis as the second-team right guard, but he was competing with Isaiah Adams for the starting job.
A Raiders defensive lineman fell into the side of Bisontis’ left knee in the third quarter on Thursday night, and he was carted to the training room.
The Cardinals have not had good luck with rookie offensive linemen in the preseason.
Last year, sixth-round pick Hayden Conner missed most of the regular season after he was injured in the preseason. In 2024, fifth-round pick Christian Jones missed most of the regular season after he was injured in the preseason. In 2023, fourth-round pick Jon Gaines missed his entire rookie season with a preseason injury.
While quarterback Carson Beck did not play in Thursday’s preseason game against the Raiders due to a rib injury, head coach Mike LaFleur confirmed the rookie should be OK going forward.
“Tough dude. No concern level really,” LaFleur said in his postgame press conference. “If this would have been flag football or seven-on-seven, we would have trotted him out there, and he could have thrown.
“He just had discomfort, and it’s one of those things I was actually talking to [Matthew] Stafford about, and that sometimes a few days later, it feels a little bit worse. Being the preseason, I just didn’t want to risk it. I know it was kind of a bummer for our fan base, and you guys, and me, and all of us, because we want to see these guys out there, but it was what it was. We thought that was in the best interest to make sure that we sat him back.”
Beck played well in his debut during last week’s Hall of Fame Game, finishing 15-of-19 passing for 188 yards with a touchdown.
The Cardinals will host the Cowboys next Saturday for the second official week of preseason play.
