The Arizona Cardinals have placed Canadian edge rusher Jesse Luketa on injured reserve, effectively ending his 2024 season.
The native of Ottawa, Ont. was having a breakout campaign prior to suffering a thigh injury. In 10 games this season, he has made 21 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble.
Luketa was drafted by the Cardinals with the 256th pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft following an outstanding collegiate career at Penn State. He made the team’s practice squad out of training camp but was elevated to the active roster in Week 4. In three years since, he has appeared in 31 games and recorded 35 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble.
The six-foot-three, 253-pound defender played twelve games at outside linebacker and defensive end for Penn State as a senior in 2021. He made 61 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and one interception, on his way to being named a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference’s coaches.
Originally a four-star recruit out of Mercyhurst Prep in Pennsylvania, Luketa spent the first three seasons of his college career as an off-ball linebacker. In 46 career games, he was credited with 143 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, eight pass knockdowns, an interception and a fumble recovery.
The Arizona Cardinals (7-7) remain in the playoff hunt and will continue their season on Sunday, December 22 when they visit the Carolina Panthers (3-11) at 1:00 p.m. EST.
