TEMPE, Ariz. -- Don’t forget about Alani Fua.
That was the message from Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians after he said a decision had not been made as of Monday afternoon regarding who Arizona will activate from injured reserve this season.
Fua was played in IR on Sept. 28 with a knee injury. Less than a week later, running back Chris Johnson and safety Tyvon Branch were put on IR with groin injuries that required hernia surgery. Under a new NFL rule this season, teams don’t have to designate which player on IR will return, allowing the Cardinals to choose between all three players.
Johnson and Branch are eligible to return to practice this week. Fua was eligible last week, but wasn’t activated. If one of the three is activated this week, the earliest they can play is Dec. 4 against Washington.
Over the past six weeks, most of the discussion about who the Cardinals will activate centered on Johnson and Branch.
Arians said injuries will play a major factor in the Cardinals deciding who they will bring off IR.
"Injuries in position with depth," Arians clarified. "We don’t talk about Alani Fua, but he’s one of those guys, too, that was a core special teamer who played 25 plays a game in special teams."
