Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jordan Hicks requested a trade earlier in the offseason after the team selected Zaven Collins with their first-round pick in the draft and essentially named him the starter from Day 1. Hicks did not participate in the offseason program, including mandatory minicamp.
He is not, though, holding out of training camp. Veterans had to report Tuesday for the Cardinals and he was there.
According to head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Hicks is “going to come in and compete his tail off,” he told reporters after Tuesday’s conditioning test.
Kingsbury had nothing but great things to say.
“(He) looks tremendous, was a captain for us last year, one of the real leaders on our team,” he said. “Glad to have him back.”
While Collins is slated to be the starter at inside linebacker on the MIKE side, Hicks isn’t just going to make it easy for the coaches to keep him off the field.
“He’s a competitor and he’s highly motivated to come in and show what he can do,” said Kingsbury.
The team allowed him to look for a team to be traded to in the offseason. While trying to get younger and more athletic at linebacker, they tried to do right by Hicks, who agreed to a pay cut this offseason as well.
Kingsbury said, whether it was him, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph or linebackers coach Billy Davis, they were “pretty much in constant communication throughout the offseason to let him know of the situation.”
Those conversations “have been good.”
Hicks has every reason to come to camp motivated. Whether it is battling to somehow unseat Collins or to show other teams he still can play, which could ultimately lead to a trade somewhere he could start, it makes sense to come in and work hard.
Whatever happened in the offseason, it appears now it is all about football.
With the Cardinals knowing Collins and second-year linebacker Isaiah Simmons will make their mistakes, having a player of Hicks’ caliber on the roster will probably be necessary at some point.
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