TE Daniels, OLB Gardeck Only Players on Injury Report

The first injury report of the 2021 regular season has revealed what it was that kept tight end Darrell Daniels out of practice for the Cardinals at the end of August and early September.

Daniels was listed on Wednesday’s injury report as limited with a toe injury. Daniels entered training camp as the team’s No. 2 tight end behind Maxx Williams, but he is now No. 3 behind Williams and Demetrius Harris, who was signed by the Cardinals on Aug. 11.

The only other player on the report is outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck, who participated fully and was listed with a knee injury. Gardeck passed his physical Aug. 23 after beginning camp on the active/physically unable to perform because of the torn ACL he suffered in Week 15 last season.

Elected a special-teams captain by the team, the full participation of Gardeck is a good sign after head coach Kliff Kingsbury said the team would still be cautious with him heading to the season.

For the Titans, wide receiver A.J. Brown did not practice (knee), while cornerback Chris Jackson and LB David Long were both limited with hamstring injuries.

Brown, along with offensive line starters Ben Jones (center) and Nate Davis (right guard) are expected to play. Jones and Davis were both activated Wednesday from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Jones was on reserve for 11 days and Davis for 10.

That leaves the Titans with only one player, guard Cole Banwart on the COVID list. He was placed on reserve the day after he was originally waived in the cutdown to 53 players. The Titans have had 13 players on the COVID list since the start of camp and 11 since Aug. 23.

The Cardinals also named three of their allowable four players as practice-squad protections: cornerbacks Rasul Douglas and Antonio Hamilton, and outside linebacker Kylie Fitts. That move prevents other teams from signing those players off the practice squad this week.

Finally, the Cardinals made a move on their practice squad, releasing center/guard Michal Menet and signing guard/tackle Eric Smith. The 6-foot-4, 321-pound Smith has been on the practice squads and rosters of several teams since entering the NFL with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

He was on reserve/injured with the Dolphins from Oct. 3 until Dec. 17 that season and while on the 53-man roster was inactive for five games.

In 2018, the Jets signed him off the New England Patriots practice squad and he was inactive for two games.

The following year he was with the New York Giants all season, plying in two games, not playing in one and being inactive for 13.

Last season, he was on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad for most of the season and was elevated to the active roster for two games. He played in one and did not play in the other. Smith was waived by the Cowboys nine days ago in the cutdown to 53 players.