Louisville football: Arizona Cardinals cut tight end Gerald Christian
By Derek Snyder
It was a tough day for former Louisville football player Gerald Christian as he was cut by the Arizona Cardinals this afternoon.
This is always one of the toughest times of the year for NFL coaches and General Managers. Rosters are mandated to be at 53 players for the regular season and the Arizona Cardinals just cut their roster down to 77 this afternoon. Unfortunately, among those cuts came former Louisville football player Gerald Christian.
Gerald Christian was drafted as the last pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, earning him the nickname Mr. Irrelevant. He ended up missing his entire rookie season because of a serious knee injury in the preseason.
Christian was a solid contributor for the Louisville Cardinals after he transferred from the University of Florida. According to Sports Reference, he ended his career at the University of Louisville racking up 810 receiving yards and nine touchdowns over two seasons.
He was only able to make on reception for 11 yards over the Arizona Cardinals three preseason games this month. That was not a great sign for a young guy trying to make the roster coming off an injury. Hopefully he will have an opportunity to make another team’s roster by the start of the season.
Another former Louisville tight end struggled at the start of his professional football career as well. Cleveland Browns tight end Gary Barnidge struggled for production over his first seven years in the NFL before exploding for over 1,000 yards last season. He is now one of the best tight ends in the entire NFL.
All that being said, this is a tough time for Gerald Christian after he was drafted only a year ago. He may not be an Arizona Cardinal anymore, but he will always be a Louisville Cardinal.
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