The Arizona Cardinals’ second preseason contest is Saturday evening at 7 p.m. ET. They face the Indianapolis Colts on the road following their two joint practices this week.
The Cardinals’ starters are not expected to play, just as was the case last week in their preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints, a 16-14 last-second loss.
The Colts’ starters and also backup quarterback Joe Flacco will sit this game out.
As is always the case in the preseason, individual player performances matter more than the actual final score, and the rookies will be on display in partciular
Heading into this game, who are the Cardinals rookies to watch?
CB Max Melton
Melton missed the preseason opener as he was just coming back from an injury. The second-round pick needs game reps and, if he is going to potentially win a starting job over Starling Thomas, he will need to play well. Thomas has been an offseason standout.
DL Darius Robinson
Robinson got early limited playing time against the Saints’ starters and looked good. A follow-up performance in his second game action will go a long way.
OL Isaiah Adams
Adams had a couple of really bad looks last week but looked pretty good in the run game. Check out to see whether he has any glaring mistakes in Indy.
RB Trey Benson
Benson run behind a line of backups against the Saints’ starters and it was evident. See if he can find any space and make plays in open space.
WR Tejhaun Palmer
Palmer had a bad game last week. He dropped a couple of passes. Will Game 2 be better?
OLB Xavier Thomas
Thomas was a bright spot last week. At a position that needs some pass-rushing juice, we will see if he can bring it again.
S Dadriono Taylor-Demerson
Didn’t “Rabbit” look like Budda Baker a couple of times with the closing speed from a distance to make a tackle? We will see if he looks as impactful again.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
