Kliff Kingsbury said there would be some difficult decisions once the team needed roster spots to activate players from Injured Reserve.
One of them came Friday, when the team released veteran tight end Maxx Williams, although General Manager Steve Keim didn't close the door on Williams' return.
"We'd like to keep him around for sure," Keim said during an appearance on the "Burns and Gambo" show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. "You have that ability potentially with the practice squad and some other opportunities. He's such a quality human being. I can't say enough good things about him."
There was no corresponding move yet. Teams must set their roster for Sunday games by 1 p.m. Saturday. Both quarterback Colt McCoy and cornerback Antonio Hamilton are candidates to come back to the roster; Kingsbury said wide receiver Antoine Wesley suffered a setback with an injury and would not be ready to play.
Profootballnetwork.com reported that Wesley might have torn his quadriceps, which would be a long-term issue.
With the late-week injury to cornerback Trayvon Mullen and his availability in question, the Cardinals could also use the spot to promote Jace Whittaker -- who has no more elevations left on the practice squad -- to the active roster.
Williams has appeared in every game but did not have a catch. He did not practice this week with a knee issue. The Cardinals are deep in the tight end room, with Zach Ertz -- who is about to face his former team on Sunday -- along with second-round pick Trey McBride and Stephen Anderson. McBride had the first three catches of his NFL career last week in Carolina.
"He's banged up right now we are trying to get him to a point where he can practice and get healthier," Keim said. "We need to get more out of McBride."
Keim acknowledged that Williams has not only knee but ankle issues with which he is dealing with.
"There is nobody we all respect and love more than Maxx," Keim said. "He's a tremendous guy, a great teammate, and obviously been a great part of this organization. We have to get him healthy and get him ready to play, get that ankle some flexibility and that knee to work in a productive manner to get him back on the field.
"We will see moving forward, but Trey has earned that right to be out there catching passes."
