Cardinals sign Scooby Wright, change punters, place 3 on IR
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals have claimed former University of Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright from the Cleveland Browns practice squad and added him to their active roster.
He fortifies a defense that lost two players for the remainder of the season in Sunday's loss at Miami: Safety/linebacker Deone Bucannon (ankle) and safety Tyson Branch (groin). Also lost for the season was tackle Ulrick John (shoulder). All three were placed on injured reserve.
The Cardinals also made a change at punter, promoting Matt Wile from their practice squad and releasing Drew Butler.
In addition to Wile, quarterback Zac Dysert was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.
Wright, a unanimous All-American who won the Nagurski, Lombardi and Bednarik awards as a sophomore at Arizona in 2014, was a seventh-round draft pick of the Browns in 2016. He spent the majority of the season on Cleveland's practice squad after being inactive for the Browns' first two games.
The Cardinals had hoped to sign Wright as an undrafted free agent, but those plans were scuttled when Cleveland drafted him in the final round.
"That's Scooby's dream, playing for Coach Arians," Wright's father, Phil Wright, told Anthony Gimino of TucsonNewsNow.com on Monday night.
"You gotta love the Browns for taking a chance on him and making him better. But he had to go somewhere and get an opportunity. He's just so excited, and I'm just so happy for him. It's like an early Christmas present."
Wile signed with the Cardinals practice squad a week ago after being released by the Falcons. He punted in one game for Atlanta -- against the Cardinals in Week 12 -- and averaged 58 yards on two punts. He also recorded touchbacks on all seven of his kickoffs.
Dysert, a seventh-round draft pick by Denver in 2013 out of Miami (Ohio), has spent most of the season on the Cardinals practice squad. He's also spent time on the practice squads of the Texans, Bills and Broncos.
