The Cardinals’ wait for linebacker John Abraham could be coming to an end on Thursday.
Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports that Abraham will report to Cardinals camp, ending an absence that appears to be related to his June DUI arrest. Abraham said in a recent statement that he was away from the team to “take the necessary steps to handle my personal business,” although the Cardinals have not made any official statement about why Abraham’s been absent.
General Manager Steve Keim resisted such an announcement on Wednesday, although he did say he expected Abraham at camp sooner than next week. Keim also said the team would handle Abraham’s return as if he were coming back from an injury.
“He’s got to work himself back into playing shape,” Keim said. “A guy coming off 11.5 sacks at 35 years old, you’d like to think that he’s going to still be able to contribute. He’s just got to get his legs back underneath him.”
While the time before the start of the season is growing short, there’s likely confidence in Arizona that the NFL’s active sack leader will be able to do that before the regular season starts. It may mean spotting his snaps a bit in the early going to make sure all is well, but chances are Abraham didn’t forget how to rush the passer during his absence so that should still make him a valuable member of the Cardinals defense.