2025 Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: CB Elijah Jones
The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp on July 22 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team.
Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2024, questions they face and their roster outlook.
Next up is cornerback Elijah Jones.
Elijah Jones background, 2024 season
There were high hopes for Jones after he was selected from Boston College in the third round of the 2024 draft. However, an ankle injury resulted in a season-long stay on injured reserve. There was some limited practice time when he was designated for return on Dec. 5, but the 21-day window expired on Dec. 26 and that kept him on IR for the final week of the season.
Elijah Jones 2025 contract details, cap hit
His four-year rookie contract included a base salary of $1.053 million for the second year. However, spending all year on injured reserve without being on the active roster for at least three games means it doesn't count as a credited season. Thus, it is believed his salary reverts to the rookie minimum, which this year is $840,000. That would create a salary-cap charge of $1.078 million.
2025 questions, roster outlook
With the addition of 2025 draft picks Will Johnson and Denzel Burke, in addition to the returning talent at the position, Jones faces stiff competition for a roster spot. Special teams could be the deciding factor for whoever is the fifth or potentially sixth cornerback. The practice squad might beckon if he is waived and not picked up by another team.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
The Yankees Could Trade Spencer Jones, The Best Hitter In The Minors
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 24: Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees rounds the bases after ... More hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets at Clover Park on Monday, March 24, 2025 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Lucas Casel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Aaron Judge is a singularity. No one else in MLB can put up numbers comparable to the reigning American League MVP, but there's someone matching him stat-for-stat in his own organization. New York Yankees prospect Spencer Jones has a Judge-like batting line—and he could be on his way out the door. Jones began the year with the Double-A Somerset Patriots, where he hit .274/.389/.594 with 16 home runs in 49 games. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, where he has taken his game to absurd levels, batting .400/.457/.950 with 13 homers in 19 games. Across the two highest levels of affiliated ball, he leads all qualified minor leaguers in home runs (29), slugging percentage (.706), and OPS (1.116). His overall batting line this season is .314/.411/.706, which is reminiscent of Judge's .342/.449/.711 slash line—the components of which all lead MLB. Jones has drawn comparisons to Judge since he was drafted by the Yankees out of Vanderbilt in 2022. Both are California natives who were selected in the first round out of college. They're both outfielders who stand 6-foot-7 with immense power and more speed than expected—Jones has 16 stolen bases this year and 96 in four minor-league seasons—even though Jones bats left-handed and Judge hits from the right side. With Judge on the injured list since July 25 with a bad elbow, it seems like Jones would be a perfect roster replacement since it doesn't appear he has anything left to prove in the minors. Unfortunately, the two have something else in common—Jones hasn't played since his three-homer game on July 24 due to back spasms. A 24-year-old slugging center fielder in Triple-A seems like the kind of prospect the Yankees should make untradeable, but USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that they could move him before this week's trade deadline. The team needs reinforcements, particularly for their pitching staff. Despite his Judge-like numbers, Jones is one of the most polarizing prospects in baseball. Many evaluators believe he'll never make enough contact to stick in the big leagues. In 2024, he set a Yankees organizational record with 200 strikeouts in 124 games and 544 plate appearances while playing in Double-A, which is an astounding 36.8% strikeout rate. To put that in context, only three qualified major leaguers have a strikeout rate higher than 30% this season, and none above Riley Greene's 32.7%. Again, that was in Double-A, and the pitching only gets tougher to hit at higher levels. He has made slight improvements this season, but perhaps not enough. He has 94 strikeouts in 302 plate appearances across Double-A and Triple-A, which is a 31.1% strikeout rate. Very few players fan that much in the minors and have success in MLB, as explained by J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Another important statistic that portends a player's success is zone-contact rate, or how often the player makes contact when swinging at pitches in the strike zone. Most hitters have to reach a threshold of around 80% zone-contact in MLB to succeed, with a few rare exceptions. Jones' zone-contact rate in Triple-A is only 69.4%. He's obliterating the ball when he connects, but he's not putting bat to ball nearly often enough, and most players have even more difficulty making contact when they jump from Triple-A to MLB. Some analysts think Spencer Jones can overcome his contact woes while others believe they will doom him. With his exceptional numbers in the minors, his trade value has never been higher. We'll see how much the Yankees believe in him based on whether or not he's still with the organization in a few days.
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
With a new defensive staff and a history of injuries it's a make-or-break season for JuJu Brents
WESTFIELD -- Colts cornerback JuJu Brents lined up in press coverage across from Anthony Gould in a red-zone drill in a matchup of size versus speed. Gould cut inside on a slant, hoping to use the green space and inside leverage as safe harbor from this 6-foot-3 cornerback. But Brents was ready for this twist, and he blanketed the 5-foot-8 receiver until the pass arrived. Then he stretched his gangly arms around Gould's compact frame in order to tip the ball up in the air and into the arms of safety Rodney Thomas II. Four practices in, Brents is healthy, for now. He's back from the meniscus tear that derailed his second season, back from the numerous surgeries that have combined to limit him to just 11 games played in two seasons. He's back in the northern suburbs of his hometown, in a literal shadow of the building where he received the call from the Colts in the second round back in 2023. That's when the dreams launched of running out of the Lucas Oil Stadium tunnel with an Indianapolis jersey on and starring at a premium position for the hometown team, only for a knee and a quad and a nose and an ankle and a wrist to turn the dream into a cruel joke at times. Heading into a make-or-break third season, those scars turned into jet fuel this offseason. "I was just working my (expletive) off," Brents said. If he needed any more fuel for the fire he's stoked through those 23 missed games, he's getting it on the field. The Colts have thrust him into a three-man battle for the starting outside cornerback spot opposite newly signed All-Pro Charvarius Ward, along with third-round Minnesota rookie Justin Walley and two-year starter Jaylon Jones. "I think if you're a competitor, you love this type of competition," Brents said. "For me, it's just a challenge every single day. But it makes us all better." INSIDER: 10 thoughts on Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones and the first week of Colts camp Thanks to Ward, and with Moore in the slot, it's one spot up for grabs among three hungry men. One is a seventh-round pick in Jones, another is a rookie with a name to carve out in Walley and the third is a hometown kid with perhaps one last runway at a local dream in Brents. "It's just an aggressive mentality: he comes downhill and brings some crafty plays with it. He'll hit someone in the flat," Jones said of Brents. "... We always be joking with him about being the 'neighborhood hero' and 'the prince of Indy.'" Walley's edge is that he was drafted by the current coaching staff, with a skill set directly built for the scheme. By hiring defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and assistant defensive backs coaches Jerome Henderson and Chris Hewitt, the Colts are embracing more of a sticky man-coverage approach, which fits the 5-10 Walley more than it does the 6-3 Brents or 6-2 Jones, who were drafted for Gus Bradley's Seattle-style approach with hulking outside cornerbacks who lived more in short-area zones. Jones has the experience edge over the two with 27 starts in 34 games. He also allowed just one touchdown pass last season, though he did give up 8.1 yards per attempt. Brents' edge is still on upside and skill set. He was the highest drafted of the three as a second-rounder, and though he has hulking length at 6-3, he also has the light frame and foot speed to move smoothly within it, like he did in blanketing Gould on the slant route. "I can't wait to see the ceiling that he reaches in the league," Moore said. "I can't wait to see the ceiling he reaches being an Indianapolis Colt." That light frame has led to a rash of injuries he could never believe could be real. But for the first time as a pro, he's coming off an offseason with no surgeries and no lingering injuries. His time is now. And for as long as it lasts, he's coming for it all.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cardinals play the Marlins leading series 1-0
Miami Marlins (50-55, third in the NL East) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (55-53, fourth in the NL Central) St. Louis; Tuesday, 7:45 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Sandy Alcantara (5-9, 6.66 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 77 strikeouts); Cardinals: Sonny Gray (10-4, 4.33 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 128 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cardinals -168, Marlins +140; over/under is 7 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Miami Marlins. St. Louis has a 55-53 record overall and a 32-22 record in home games. The Cardinals have a 24-6 record in games when they hit two or more home runs. Miami is 26-26 in road games and 50-55 overall. The Marlins have gone 20-12 in games when they did not allow a home run. The matchup Tuesday is the second time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Alec Burleson leads the Cardinals with a .289 batting average, and has 19 doubles, 14 home runs, 26 walks and 48 RBIs. Masyn Winn is 15 for 38 with seven RBIs over the last 10 games. Kyle Stowers leads the Marlins with 23 home runs while slugging .573. Xavier Edwards is 13 for 38 with three doubles, a triple and two RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 4-6, .241 batting average, 4.71 ERA, outscored by 15 runs Marlins: 6-4, .238 batting average, 3.13 ERA, outscored opponents by one run INJURIES: Cardinals: Nolan Gorman: 10-Day IL (back), Lars Nootbaar: 10-Day IL (ribs), Zack Thompson: 60-Day IL (lat) Marlins: Kyle Stowers: day-to-day (illness), Derek Hill: 10-Day IL (finger), Jesus Tinoco: 60-Day IL (forearm), Connor Norby: 10-Day IL (wrist), Max Meyer: 60-Day IL (hip), Ryan Weathers: 60-Day IL (lat), Griffin Conine: 60-Day IL (arm), Andrew Nardi: 60-Day IL (back), Braxton Garrett: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
