Jalen Brooks took on an increased role in the Cardinals’ offense over the past three weeks. The wideout’s 2026 season has come to an abrupt end, though.
Brooks posted on Instagram Monday that he requires wrist surgery. He will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign while recovering. This news deals a blow to Arizona’s receiver depth not long after the team elected to trade away Marvin Harrison Jr.
Brooks began his career with the Cowboys but did not carve out a full-time offensive role. The former seventh-rounder was cut from Dallas’ practice squad via an injury settlement almost exactly one year ago. That was followed in short order by a taxi squad deal with Arizona. Brooks made five appearances with the Cardinals in 2025 and remained in the fold through the first seven weeks of this season.
In September, the 26-year-old was hardly used on offense while becoming a regular presence on special teams thanks to his work as a returner. Since Week 5, however, Brooks has handled 158 offensive snaps. That substantial uptick in playing time was likely to continue through the remainder of the season. Instead, the South Carolina product will now turn his attention to recovery.
Arizona will move forward with Michael Wilson continuing to operate as the team’s top wideout. Tight end Trey McBride is of course in line to remain a focal point in the passing game as well. The likes of Kendrick Bourne and Devin Duvernay are still in the fold as complementary options on that front.
Brooks is a pending unrestricted free agent. This news will obviously hurt his market value if he is to depart on the open market this spring or the terms of any Cardinals deal which is worked out prior to the start of the new league year.