Cardinals waive CB Trayvon Mullen

A full-time starter during much of his Raiders run, Trayvon Mullen could not secure a first-string spot with the Cardinals. The team will move on from the fourth-year cornerback, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.

Arizona sent a conditional draft choice to Las Vegas for Mullen on cutdown day in August. Had Mullen been active for 10 games, the pick would have become a 2023 sixth-rounder. Because the former second-round pick suited up for only eight, the pick will be a seventh-rounder.

Still, this represents a disappointing development for both the Cardinals and Mullen. The Clemson product had started 31 games during his three Raiders seasons. Although he played a season-high 42 defensive snaps Monday night, the Cards are still moving on. Mullen surpassed 30 defensive snaps as a Cardinal only once: in the team’s loss to the Patriots.

In limited work, Mullen allowed a career-high 12.1 yards per target and a staggering 156.7 quarterback rating as the closest defender in coverage this season. A Cardinals team that spent much of the offseason in need at corner traded for Mullen just as it was finalizing its initial 53-man roster, but the Raiders’ new regime was planning to cut him. That led to the low-end compensation for a player who was a full-time starter during Jon Gruden’s time with the Raiders.

The 40th overall pick in 2019, Mullen landed on IR twice last season. Foot trouble led to both stints, and Mullen underwent foot surgery during the spring. He began the Raiders’ training camp on their active/PUP list and did not come off the list until mid-August. Mullen did not make his Cardinals debut until Week 3 of this season. The team has used Marco Wilson and journeyman Antonio Hamilton ahead of Mullen alongside Byron Murphy this season.

While the Raiders cut bait on Mullen, he joins Alex Leatherwood and Johnathan Abram as highly drafted players from the Gruden-Mike Mayock era to be waived this year. Both Leatherwood and Abram are still tied to their Raiders rookie deals, via waiver claims (two in Abram’s case). Mullen will hit free agency if he is not claimed by Wednesday afternoon.