Defensive lineman Corey Peters recovered from a 2013 torn right Achilles to play in 15 games for the Falcons last season and landed a three-year deal with the Cardinals as a free agent.
The Cardinals are going to have to wait until the second year of that deal to get any contributions from Peters, however. Coach Bruce Arians announced on Thursday that Peters has torn his other Achilles and will miss the 2015 season as a result.
Peters was expected to start at nose tackle this season, so his loss will force the team to come up with a new plan on the defensive line. Arians said that the first man up to replace Peters will be 2015 fourth-round pick Rodney Gunter, who the team traded up to get after being impressed by his work at Delaware State.
Arians also confirmed that left guard Mike Iupati will miss time after surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He put Iupati’s recovery time at 3-8 weeks. That is a bit more optimistic than the 6-8 weeks reported on Wednesday, but it will still likely leave the team to rely on Ted Larsen up front early in the season.