Cardinals Cut DT Bilal Nichols & LB Akeem Davis-Gaither

The Arizona Cardinals announced they have released DT Bilal Nichols and LB Akeem Davis-Gaither. 

The expected transactions will save Arizona nearly $11 million in cap space. Both players were on thin ice with their performance not matching their contracts. 

Nichols, 29, was drafted by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2018 draft out of Delaware. He played out the final year of a four-year $2.75 million rookie deal.

Nichols was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 and tested the market, signing a two-year, $11 million deal with the Raiders. After playing out that contract, he hit unrestricted free agency again and signed a three-year, $21 million deal with Arizona. 

In 2025, Nichols appeared in four games for the Cardinals and recorded three tackles. 

Davis-Gaither, 28, was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft by the Bengals out of Appalachian State.

He finished the final year of a four-year, $4.1 million rookie contract and was scheduled to become a free agent before signing a one-year extension with the Bengals.

Davis-Gaither was testing the market again when he signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Cardinals. 

In 2025, Davis-Gaither appeared in all 17 games for the Cardinals and recorded 117 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one recovery, one interception and five pass deflections.