Happy Monday! I hope you had a nice weekend.

I’ll get to the Cardinals below, but first, remember that time the D-backs opened their post All-Star break schedule with three straight wins? That all seems like a distant memory considering the club has lost five of its last six games, and has since traded away Josh Naylor and Randal Grichuk, with more deals almost certainly on the way.

The Diamondbacks have tumbled to 51-55, they are 10 games back of the NL West lead, and also six games back in the Wild Card race. It’s not looking good.

Whatever transpires over the next few weeks, make sure to stay tuned to our PHNX Diamondbacks team, who will keep you in the know heading up to this week’s trade deadline.

On to the show!

Cardinals Lose Key Players to Injury Early in Camp

The start of NFL training camp is supposed to be a happy time.

It has been anything but for the Cardinals.

Cornerback Starling Thomas V was lost for the season after tearing his ACL on Friday during practice. He joins rookie corner Jaden Davis on injured reserve, and though coach Jonathan Gannon indicated Davis may have the opportunity to return before the end of the season, Thomas is done for the year.

Just like that.

The 25-year-old Thomas has played both of his NFL seasons with the Cardinals, starting 22 games over that span, including 15 in 2024. He was credited with 47 combined tackles and a forced fumble last year, and was set to be a key piece of the team’s retooled defense as it looks to make its way back into the playoffs.

Davis, meanwhile, was a seventh-round selection in the most recent NFL Draft, so it’s not like he was projected to make an immediate impact, but the depth hit is still a tough blow considering the Cardinals are just days into camp.

Cardinals Sign Gilmore, Still Have Key Players

Arizona wasted no time addressing the injuries, signing the relatively unknown Steven Gilmore to help offset the recent string of conerback injuries.

The 25-year-old played three games with the Detroit Lions in 2023 before continuing his professional football career in the UFL, where he totaled 40 tackles and one interception in 10 games.

Gilmore, who is a product of Marshall University, certainly has the genes to compete, as his older brother is veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who has played 180 games since 2012, won one Super Bowl, and was the Defensive Player of the year in 2019.

The younger Gilmore’s role has yet to be determined, but hopefully he can channel some of his older brother’s success!

As for the Cardinals’ defense, all is not lost, though they will be relying on super young talent. The team’s current cornerback corps still features rookie sensation Will Johnson out of Michigan, who only tumbled to the second round in the 2025 NFL Draft because of … wait for it … wait for it … a knee injury.

Second-year corner Max Melton and third-year player Garrett Williams will likely start as well. Melton just wrapped up his rookie season after the Cardinals selected him 43rd overall in 2024, and he appeared in 17 games, including three starts, last season. Williams, meanwhile, started 11 games last year, recording two interceptions, one forced fumble, and 58 combined tackles.

Jonathan Gannon’s Take: “I feel awful and bad for those guys. These guys go through a lot and put a lot in and it’s just a tough break, but they’ll do everything they can do to get back and both of them will be back at some point, and we’ll move on … Training camp, during the season, it’s a known, unknown. You know there’s going to be guys that get hurt. You don’t know who and don’t know what, and all 32 teams deal with it.”

Another Loss: The D-backs dropped yet another series, falling to the Pirates after being outscored 8-0 in the series’ final two games. There’s no rest for the weary, though, as Arizona opens a three-game set in Detroit today. The Tigers are slumping pretty hard, having lost 12 of their last 14 games, so it may be a good time to catch the Motor City Kitties.

As mentioned above, Grichuk was the latest trade domino to fall, as the D-backs dealt him to Kansas City during Saturday’s game against the Pirates. Arizona received right-handed pitcher Andrew Hoffman in return, and the reliever was promptly assigned to Triple-A Reno. Thanks for the memories, Randal!

Suns Up: The Suns signed free agent forward Nigel Hayes-Davis on Friday, bolstering the team’s roster with the addition of an All-EuroLeague First Team player. The 30-year-old has earned the honor in each of the last two seasons, and averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 39 EuroLeague regular season games with Fenerbahce Istanbul lat season.

Fun fact: Hayes-Davis owns the EuroLeague record for most points scored in a game (50).

Back on Track: The Mercury snapped a three-game losing streak with yesterday’s 88-72 win at Washington, a critical win after an 89-76 loss to New York on Friday. Phoenix is now 1-1 on its current five-game road trip, which continues at Indiana on Wednesday before wrapping up this weekend with games at Atlanta (Friday) and Chicago (Sunday).

Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills

Even with greater opportunity, it’s always so tough to see your teammates go down.