10 August 2023 , 18:35
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Marlon Mack's NFL season is over before it started, picking up a left Achilles injury just days after signing for the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Jonathan Gannon has confirmed.
It's not the first time that the running back, 27, has suffered that injury, having torn his right Achilles early in the 2020 season while playing for the Indianapolis Colts, when Gannon was the franchise's defensive backs coach.
Gannon described Mack's fresh injury setback as "terrible", with the 2017 NFL draftee being dealt a tough blow to his hopes of making the Cardinals' 53-man squad.
Mack spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos, racking up 185 rushing yards and a touchdown in eight games played. "Really good player we decided to add," Gannon said before Mack's injury blow.
"Good job by Monti [Ossenfort]. ... We're going to try to improve our team every second that we get, so excited to have him here. I was with him in Indy - phenomenal person, phenomenal teammate, and excited to get him acclimated. He's had some really good years, he's been nicked like a lot of running backs have, but if you ask him he's got a lot left in the tank."
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The Cardinals play their first preseason game on Friday against the Broncos at the State Farm Stadium and Gannon is in it to win it. "Every time you strap it up and go in between the white lines, you want to win the game, so that’s always the No. 1 goal," he said.
Gannon continued: "From an organizational standpoint, does everyone understand exactly their role on game day and how their roles fit into us winning and losing games. We have to execute those things and I’m sure there’s going to be bumps in the road but everybody that’s a part of game day impacts game day.
The 27-year-old tore his right Achilles (AP)“I think it’s clearly defined for everybody. I expect certain things to happen on Friday night that need to happen, and I’m looking forward to go dry run it.”
Just over a week later, the Cardinals will then play the reigning Super Bowl winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, and will again play host at the State Farm Stadium. A trip to the Minnesota Vikings will then finish Arizona's preseason on Aug. 26.
The Cardinals' 2023 NFL campaign will start off against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 10 at the FedExField.