Just a few weeks ago, Michael Carter was the lead back for the Arizona Cardinals.
On Monday, they released him.
It’s not a move anyone saw coming. The only healthy RBs remaining on the Arizona roster are Bam Knight and Emari Demercado.
Carter’s stats in Weeks 6, 7 and 8 looked like this:
- 18 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 22 yards
- 9 carries, 34 yards; 2 catches, 30 yards
- 7 carries, 11 yards; 2 catches, 25 yards
And now he’s been put into free agency for any other NFL team to potentially pick up.
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Why did the Cardinals release Michael Carter?
The Cardinals released Michael Carter for roster reasons that haven’t quite made themselves clear yet.
They likely feel they need to make a signing at a different spot, and probably feel like Carter has a chance to not get picked up by another team.
They may have even decided with him that they’ll try to bring him back once they get the rest of the roster organized.
I know people are making a deal out of the Cardinals releasing Michael Carter. He could easily be back on the practice squad tomorrow and playing on Monday Night. Teams do this kind of roster management gymnastics all the time.
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 27, 2025
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It’ll be interesting to see. It certainly feels like Carter will sign somewhere this week, whether with Arizona or elsewhere.
Teams can always use talented, healthy RBs.
