Several Key Stars Miss Practice for Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have had an up-and-down first four weeks of the regular season, and if their first practice of Week 5 is any indication, things won't be stabilizing any time soon. The team faced a veritable laundry list of absences at Wednesday' session:

In open part of #AZCardinals practice, WR A.J. Green was working.

Not present:
WR Hollywood Brown
TE Zach Ertz
TE Maxx Williams
OL Kelvin Beachum
OL Rodney Hudson
OL Max Garcia
OL Justin Pugh
DL Rashard Lawrence
LB Nick Vigil
K Matt Prater pic.twitter.com/ddfWxhdIML
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) October 5, 2022

Wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and tight end Zach Ertz lead the team in catches, and offensive linemen Kelvin Beachum, Rodney Hudson, and Justin Pugh are all starters. The Cardinals are coming off a convincing 26-16 win over the Carolina Panthers, but they'll have a hard time building momentum if they're missing five key players on offense for their pivotal Week 5 matchup against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.

HOLLYWOOOOOOD 🤩@Primetime_jet x #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/ZteJB7GWLd
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 2, 2022

Brown joined the Cardinals via trade with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason during the 2022 NFL Draft, reuniting with quarterback and fellow Oklahoma Sooner Kyler Murray. He's proven a valuable addition to this point, hauling in 339 receiving yards and two touchdowns in four games.

Ertz also arrived with the Cardinals via trade, albeit it with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. The team signed him to a three-year, $31.65 million deal this past offseason after he nabbed 56 receptions for 574 yards in 11 games last year.

Beachum, Hudson, and Pugh occupy three of five spots for an offensive line Pro Football Focus projected as the league's 25th-best ahead of the 2022 NFL season.