JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The Arizona Cardinals elevated rookie outside linebacker Cameron Robertson from the practice squad Saturday, a move that keeps their options open if veteran pass rusher Josh Sweat cannot play Sunday in New York.
Sweat’s groin problem showed up in practice this week and left him questionable, the team said on its website. Robertson, who has been wearing the club’s Pat Tillman practice jersey, could make his NFL debut if Sweat is out or limited. Elevating him does not by itself rule Sweat out. It gives the staff a body if the veteran becomes a game-day decision.
Robertson signed as an undrafted free agent in the spring after 52 college games at North Texas and SMU, where he recorded 14 sacks. He has not appeared in a regular-season game. Practice-squad elevations are a standard Saturday transaction: a player can be called up for the weekend and, if he is not signed to the active roster, return to the practice squad afterward.
If Sweat sits, the Cardinals expect Eku Leota to see more snaps behind Jordan Burch, Baron Browning, and Zaven Collins, who sit at the top of the edge rotation. Getting to the quarterback from the outside has been a season-long problem. Burch is the only player in that group with a sack so far, the team noted.
Sweat was brought in to be the player who changes that. A groin injury in October is the kind of issue that can linger through a short week even when a player is listed as questionable rather than out. The Cardinals’ public posture Saturday was flexibility, not a declaration that Sweat is done for the game.
Arizona’s pass rush is being judged every week against an offense that has had to live without a consistent edge threat. A debut for Robertson would be a depth answer, not a fix. The staff’s first choice is still Sweat, if the groin lets him rush on Sunday.