The Arizona Cardinals have won four straight games and five of their last six contests to improve to 6-4 on the season. The team is now in first place in an extremely tight NFC West, where all four teams are separated by just half a game. As the NFC playoff picture starts to develop, the Cardinals find themselves in the three seed after 11 weeks.
Now the team is hoping to upgrade the offensive line. Arizona waived lineman Charlie Heck on Monday, according to Cardinals reporter Bo Brack on X. This move opens a spot for right tackle Jonah Williams.
Williams became Arizona’s starting RT after the team released veteran lineman D.J. Humphries in the offseason. Humphries, who had spent his entire nine-year career with the Cardinals, suffered a torn ACL in Week 17. While he was in the process of recovering after the season, the team cut him and signed Williams, who was a former first round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, Williams went down with a knee injury during his Cardinals debut in Week 1. Arizona moved him to the IR and he’s been sidelined since. But the team announced that the sixth-year veteran would return to practice, opening his 21-day window after Week 8. The Cardinals must activate Williams by November 20 or he will revert back to the IR for the remainder of the season. The release of Heck is a good indication that Williams is ready to suit up for Arizona.
Veteran RT Jonah Williams could be ready to return to the Cardinals
While Arizona’s 6-4 record would be good for last place in the NFC North, the Cardinals have a legitimate shot at the postseason in the West. The team is currently 2-0 in divisional play with two games against the Seattle Seahawks in the next three weeks and matchups against the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers in Weeks 17 and 18.
Arizona benefited from the Seahawks comeback win over the 49ers in Week 11, which kept the Cardinals atop the division while the team was on its bye week. Although Arizona is just 6-4, the record is a bit deceiving. The Cardinals are playing better each week as starting quarterback Kyler Murray becomes more comfortable in his second season under head coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Gannon has been highly impressed with Murray’s play this year. The sixth-year passer has helped the team overcome a disastrous 1-3 start to the season. He had his best overall performance of 2024 in Week 10’s 31-6 win over the New York Jets. Murray set a franchise record with 17 straight completions. Overall, the Pro Bowl QB went 22/24 for 266 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns and zero turnovers.
The Cardinals have an opportunity to solidify their division stronghold when they travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks in Week 12. Seattle improved to 5-5 with a victory over the 49ers on Sunday.
