Arizona Cardinals get DeAndre Hopkins back, but lose 2 other offensive players

Wise up, Red Sea. You’ve got problems.

Not only did HBO Films and their camera crews fully descend on the Cardinals’ Tempe training facility on Monday to start daily filming for the sports reality series that begins airing Nov. 9, but it’s Hard Knocks for real for this NFL franchise.

In addition to falling to 2-4 following their 19-9 clunker of a loss Sunday in Seattle, the Cardinals learned they have lost one integral player to their offense for the rest of the season due to a knee injury and they likely will be without another for at least the next six weeks due to a foot injury.

Veteran left guard Justin Pugh suffered a torn ACL against the Seahawks and will undergo season-ending surgery, coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday. The news wasn’t as concrete regarding wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and his injured foot, but he’s expected to be sidelined “indefinitely,” according to Kingsbury.

Brown was seeking a second opinion on the foot Monday and according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, an MRI revealed Brown has a small, non-surgical fracture in the foot. He will go on injured reserve and be out for about six weeks.

“It’s tough anytime you lose starters that you’re depending on in your offense,” Kingsbury said. “But it’s the NFL and everybody is dealing with the same thing. We’ve got to be able to continue to play and improve so we’ll make adjustments and go from there.”

Speaking of adjustments, someone asked Kingsbury on Monday if he would consider surrendering play-calling duties as the offense tries to fight its way out of its funk. And Kingsbury, somewhat surprisingly, said he would be up for anything that makes a positive difference.

“I’m open to anything that helps us win and score more points,” he said. “We’re going to see where everything goes, but yeah, whatever it takes to win I’m all for it.”

The Cardinals reacted quickly to Brown’s injury, meanwhile, making a trade with the Panthers to acquire wide receiver Robbie Anderson in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2024 and a seven-round pick in 2025. Anderson, 29, is a seven-year pro who had 95 receptions for 1,096 yards for Carolina in 2020. He had 13 receptions for 206 yards and a touchdown this season.

He was removed from the Panthers’ loss to the Rams on Sunday by interim coach Steve Wilks after getting into a shouting match with receivers coach Joe Dailey. Kingsbury said there’s a chance Anderson, 29, could see some action Thursday night when the Cardinals host the New Orleans Saints.

The Cardinals also activated star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who missed the first six games due to a suspension, and he is expected to make his season debut against the Saints.

Hopkins has had six 1,000-yard seasons, including his first year with the Cardinals in 2020 when he tied his career high with 115 receptions for 1,407 yards. He had 42 catches for 572 yards and eight touchdowns last season despite missing seven games with hamstring and knee issues.

“He’s just one of a kind,” quarterback Kyler Murray said last week. “He’s got really long arms and wears like quadruple XL gloves. He’s got an uncanny ability to make the spectacular catches with guys on him. He’s one of the best to ever do it, so to plat with a guy like him you just feel confident no matter who’s on him.

“Give him a chance and most of the time he comes down with the ball.”

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Getting Hopkins back should help trigger Arizona’s stagnant offense, but it’s doubtful he can help turn things around by himself. Murray hasn’t looked right recently, misfiring on multiple passing attempts and he hasn’t been helped by his pass catches dropping ball, either. Center Rodney Hudson has been out with a knee injury and now Pugh is lost for the year.

“I think you can watch how we’re playing offensively and see there’s more to it than that,” Kingsbury said of Hopkins’ potential influence on the offense. “But he definitely brings a dynamic that any team would want to have. You’ve got a true No.1 like that and playmaker that defenses have to be aware of each and every snap, it makes a difference in scheme and playmaking and things of that nature.

“But we have more issues than that we’ve got to correct, and we can’t expect him to just be the savior. We’re all excited to have him back and what he brings and competitor he is an all those things. But we’ve got a lot that we’ve got to get better at.”

By activating Hopkins, the Cardinals had to make a corresponding roster move and did so Monday by announcing they have released kicker Matt Ammendola, who missed a game-tying field goal a week ago that could have forced overtime against the Eagles and missed an extra-point attempt in Seattle.

Kingsbury shied away from letting Ammendola kick any field goals in Seattle, opting three times to go for it on fourth down inside the Seahawks’ 30-yard line. Matt Prater, who has missed the past two games because of a sore right hip, might not be ready to kick Thursday night, however, meaning the Cardinals might have to bring in another new kicker on a short week against the Saints.

That’s not an ideal situation, but it might happen, Kingsbury said.

“Yeah, they’re a little different in that they can still get some work kicking,” he said, noting the team won’t be in pads or going through full practices Tuesday or Wednesday. “We’ll definitely be looking and see how that progresses. That role is never easy, those guys that come in on sort notice and have to kick, but that’s part of the job requirement.”

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals lose G Justin Pugh and WR Marquise Brown to injury