Roster Report: Wesley Exemption, Practice-Squad Protections, Tryouts

The Cardinals activated wide receiver Antoine Wesley Tuesday, but he won’t count against the 53-man roster until Thursday.

The Cardinals requested a roster exemption for Wesley, who had been on the list since Sept. 10. The exemption expires Thursday.

In addition to releasing kicker Matt McCrane from the practice squad Tuesday, the Cardinals also protected four practice-squad players from being signed by another team this week: Safety Chris Banjo, cornerback Antonio Hamilton, guard Sean Harlow and tight end Ross Travis.

Tuesday is a popular tryout day around the NFL and the Cardinals reported workouts with six players. Around the league, there were 47 reported tryouts and one reported visit.

The players trying out for the Cardinals were:

Safety Brian Cole II, Mississippi State, who entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 and was waived this summer by the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 27.

Linebacker Willie Harvey, Iowa State, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns in 2019 and was waived by the Browns on Aug. 31.

Safety Natrell Jamerson, Wisconsin, entered the league as a fifth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2018 and was waived by the Saints on Aug. 31.

Cornerback Stanford Samuels, Florida State, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 2020 and was waived by the Packers on Aug. 18.

Linebacker Josh Watson, Colorado State, began his NFL career with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and was waived by the Broncos on Aug. 24.

Cornerback Mazzi Wilkins, South Florida, signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tamps Bay Buccaneers in 2018 and was last with an NFL team when he was released by the Bucs practice squad on Jan. 5, 2021. He spent time earlier this year with the Canadian Football league’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.