Cardinals Place K Matt Prater & DL Bilal Nichols On IR Among Other Moves

The Arizona Cardinals have placed K Matt Prater and DL Bilal Nichols on injured reserve, which will sideline each for at least four games. 

Adam Schefter says Nichols is expected to miss the remainder of the season. 

In the case of Prater, he’s already missed a couple of games with a knee injury, so his absence will stretch even longer. The team promoted K Chad Ryland from the practice squad to active roster to continue replacing him. 

Arizona also cut TE Jordan Murray and OL Austen Pleasants from the practice squad. 

Prater, 40, spent seven years with the Broncos before signing a three-year, $9 million contract that included a $750,000 signing bonus and annual $50,000 workout bonuses with the Lions in 2015.

Prater then signed a three-year, $11.4 million extension with Detroit back in 2017. After finishing out this contract, he agreed to a two-year contract worth $7 million with the Cardinals in 2021. Arizona re-signed him to another deal in 2023. 

In 2024, Prater has appeared in four games for the Cardinals and hit all six of his field goal attempts and all 10 of his extra points. 

Nichols, 27, 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 2024, Nichols appeared in six games for the Cardinals and recorded 10 total tackles and one tackle for loss.