Cardinals place safety Jalen Thompson on IR, sign Riley

Updated Sep. 17, 2020 6:02 p.m. ET

Associated Press

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals have placed starting safety Jalen Thompson on injured reserve after he injured his ankle against the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener.

Thompson will miss at least the next three games. The 22-year-old out of Washington State was a fifth-round pick in last year's draft and immediately became an important part of the defense in 2019, starting nine games and finishing with 57 tackles.

He was hurt early in the game against the 49ers and replaced by Chris Banjo, who finished with six tackles. Banjo and Deionte Thompson are expected to fill Thompson's role on Sunday against Washington.

The Cardinals signed safety Curtis Riley from Pittsburgh's practice squad to take Thompson's place on the roster. The 28-year-old Riley is in his sixth NFL season and appeared in 43 games with the Raiders, Giants and Titans after entering the league as an undrafted free agent. He started all 16 games with the Giants in 2018.

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