With the season-ending injury to outside linebacker BJ Ojulari, the Cardinals signed veteran edge rusher Marquis Haynes Sr. on Tuesday to a one-year deal, giving them some experience at the position as the team adjusts to the loss.
Haynes was a fourth-round pick of the Panthers in 2018, and has 14 career sacks.
“(I knew him) a little bit, the tape, some of the character stuff when he came out (in the draft),” coach Jonathan Gannon said. “Excited to add those guys into the mix.”
The Cardinals also signed cornerback Delonte Hood, with Max Melton and Garrett Williams currently dealing with undisclosed injuries. Hood as spent time with the Bengals and the Broncos, but has yet to appear on a 53-man NFL roster. He played for Arlington in the UFL in 2024 and led the league with six pass breakups.
Haynes shouldn’t be confused with Marquis Hayes, the current Cardinals guard who was drafted in 2022. But Haynes, 30, can provide some pop on third downs and has the reputation of being a good locker room guy — not a surprise when analyzing the players GM Monti Ossenfort collects.
Haynes only had one sack a season ago for the Panthers, playing only seven games because of back problems. But the two years before that he had eight sacks on only 34 percent of the defensive snaps, playing in all 34 games for Carolina as a rotational piece.
In 2022, his last healthy season, Haynes had five sacks and 16 pressures.
The Cardinals had two open roster spots after putting Ojulari on IR and waiving-injured offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell at the outset of camp.
