The Arizona Cardinals announced on Apr. 2 that Kyle Sammons has been promoted to head strength and conditioning coach as the team prepares for its offseason program, which begins April 7 at the Dignity Health Training Center under new head coach Mike LaFleur.
This move comes as the Cardinals seek to address player health following a season in which they experienced significant injury impact. General Manager Monti Ossenfort said at the Scouting Combine that the organization was evaluating all aspects related to player health after suffering more injuries than any NFL team except one since 2001. “It’s tough when you acquire players and try to build a team and then for whatever reason they’re not out there,” Ossenfort said. “There are two things that suck about life in the NFL, and that’s injuries and losing. Unfortunately, we suffered a lot of both last year.” He added, “We have to find a way to overcome that, we have to find a better way to take care of them, to train them, so they can remain on the field. That has been a huge emphasis.”
Sammons joined the Cardinals in 2023 as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and sports science coordinator before his promotion this year. The team also retained Shea Thompson as director of football performance and Buddy Morris as senior reconditioning coordinator. New hires include Matt King and Rich Pruett as assistant strength and conditioning coaches, along with Aaron Sanchez who will serve as assistant strength and conditioning/reconditioning.
Head coach LaFleur addressed ongoing discussions about managing roster health since his arrival: “There are plenty of guys probably getting that question right now (among NFL coaches.),” LaFleur said. “We have a process that we will go about in terms of how we feel will help these guys get prepared.” He continued, “Some of it is, are they overtraining? Are they undertraining? Where is that fine balance? Are they getting enough competitive work? Is a joint practice different than a normal practice… That is a fluid conversation.”
The Arizona Cardinals are recognized as the oldest continuously operating professional football franchise in the United States according to their official website. They compete in the NFC West division according to their official website and host home games in Glendale while serving fans throughout the greater Phoenix area according to their official website. The franchise captured an NFC championship in 2008 according to their official website.
With these staff changes finalized ahead of voluntary workouts beginning next week, observers will watch closely how adjustments may impact player availability during LaFleur’s first season leading one of professional football’s most historic teams.