Former Sun Devil Marion Grice ‘excited’ for opportunity with Arizona Cardinals

TEMPE, Ariz. — Marion Grice did not expect to be an Arizona Cardinal.

But he is.

“I was pretty much coming off of lifting weights and then I got a phone call and it was the Cardinals, and they were asking me if they can get me on the next flight out,” he said Tuesday. “And I got pretty excited, and we started talking from that point on about getting me on the next flight and bringing me out here.”

“Here” is a familiar place for Grice, who played the final two seasons of his college career at nearby Arizona State University. It was there where he rushed for 1,675 yards and 25 touchdowns and caught 91 passes for 860 yards and 14 scores, developing into the kind of all-purpose back teams can often find a place for.

And in Arizona, where there is uncertainty behind starting running back Andre Ellington, those qualities led to interest in the sixth-round pick.

“He just gives us another great back,” offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin said. “Obviously we have to replace Jonathan (Dwyer), and unfortunately that situation has got to take care of itself, but he gives us a guy who had a great preseason in San Diego.

“He can catch the ball, he can do the things we want to do, so we like him.”

Grice had a modest preseason, gaining 167 yards on 41 carries and catching three passes for 14 yards. That included a 17-carry, 79-yard performance against the Cardinals, where he also caught one pass for five yards.

Goodwin said while he did not watch much of Grice while he was at ASU, he did see enough on film to be intrigued, and everyone who went to his Pro Day in Tempe — a group that included running backs coach Stump Mitchell — “all loved him.”

“He was kind of a guy that we would like to get, but we didn’t get, obviously,” he said. “But (it’s) good to have him and he’s going to be a great addition to our team.”

Grice’s college coach agrees.

“Marion being in the Cardinals’ system is going to really be a great fit for him,” Todd Graham said. “So a very good move by them by bringing him here because I just don’t think — there’s not a guy that I’ve coached that I think more of than Marion Grice.”

Having been signed off San Diego’s practice squad, Grice will be on the Cardinals’ 53-man roster. It’s a promotion for the rookie, who has yet to appear in a regular season NFL game, and one he is not necessarily surprised to be getting.

However, he thought it would come with San Diego, who has lost two of its top backs to injuries over the last couple weeks. In fact, he said his Chargers teammates were talking to him about his likelihood of moving up.

“We had a team meeting at one o’clock, but I got the call from the Cardinals before one o’clock, so I had to leave,” he said.

Grice figures to have a role with the Cardinals. With the team on bye this week, he’ll have a chance to earn reps while learning the system ahead of the team’s Week 5 matchup with the Denver Broncos. Goodwin said he sees Grice as being similar to Ellington in that he can handle a variety of roles.

“He can still run it as a power back, he can still run it with the outside zone, he’s good with the downhill runs,” he said. “Whatever we ask him to do. He just caught a great pass there at the end of practice right there on kind of a wheel route, and caught it one-handed, it was great. He’s a real athletic kid and he’s going to bring a lot to the table.”

Grice, who is confident the Cardinals will be able to maximize his skills, is just glad to have a chance.

“I was pretty excited,” he said of joining the team as part of the 53-man roster. “To get an opportunity to come here and compete and play — that was my biggest thing.

“I just wanted to play for the longest time.”

Arizona Sports’ Craig Grialou contributed to this report

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