Irvin, from Davidson, suffered a high ankle sprain during the Cardinals’ preseason game against San Diego last Saturday and expects to be sidelined four weeks.

As part of the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement, the Cardinals are responsible for Irvin until he’s healthy and can then decide whether to keep or cut him. Until then, he’s treated as if he’s on the roster

Meanwhile, other teams are free to claim him off waivers while being notified of his injury. Irvin was injured on one of the final plays of the Cardinals’ third preseason game. He was on a safety blitz when he was cut by the running back.

“Unfortunately, my foot got caught underneath him and put a lot of stress on my ankle,” Irvin said Tuesday. Irvin will likely return home this week.