Zach Kerr was on the sideline with the Cardinals when they lost to the Rams at SoFi Stadium in the wild card round of the playoffs. Kerr, who was inactive for the game, figured his season was finished when the game ended.
But Kerr reverted to the practice squad the following day, and the Bengals signed him Jan. 19.
So Kerr now gets a second chance to beat the Rams in the postseason and it comes in Super Bowl LVI.
“It’s been crazy,” the defensive lineman said this week, via Darren Urban of the Cardinals website. “I’ve been in a lot of different time zones in a small, small timeframe.”
The Cardinals originally signed Kerr after J.J. Watt injured his shoulder in Week 8. The team cut him the day after the regular-season finale but signed him back to the practice squad.
Arizona elevated him for the playoff game because of uncertainty whether Watt would play. Watt did, and Kerr didn’t.
He has played the past two playoff games with the Bengals, seeing action on 29 defensive snaps and seven on special teams while making one tackle.
“It was the first time in my career I’ve been bounced around like this during the season,” said Kerr, who also played four regular-season games with the 49ers. “I just had to adjust my thinking and adjust my outlook. It’s been crazy, really wild. Obviously, it didn’t go the way we had wanted it in A-Z, but now I’m a Bengal, and I’m here to help them win a Super Bowl.”