The Arizona Cardinals played one preseason game over the weekend and must trim the roster by five players by Tuesday afternoon. We saw players in action and perhaps have a better idea as to where players stand.
Below are my latest roster projections for the Cardinals, now taking into consideration playing time and performance in Arizona’s 36-23 preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and
Quarterback
Kyler Murray, Colt McCoy, Trace McSorley
It looks like they want to keep McSorley around and they have carried three quarterbacks on the roster each of the last two seasons.
Running back
James Conner, Darrel Williams, Eno Benjamin, Jonathan Ward, Keaontay Ingram
Could the Cardinals keep five backs? They might have to.
Ward has been a special teams core player. Ingram looks too good to expose to waivers. Could they decide to trade Williams and go with young players behind Conner?
Wide receiver
(DeAndre Hopkins – doesn’t count), Marquise Brown, A.J. Green, Rondale Moore, Greg Dortch, Antoine Wesley
Wesley’s injury will determine whether he lands on the final roster or on injured reserve.
If there is a chance he can play this season, they will carry him to the 53 and then put him on IR. Dortch has to be a lock at this point.
Tight end
Zach Ertz, Maxx Williams, Trey McBride
No real surprise here. The question is whether Williams will be able to play in Week 1. The same applies to Trey McBride, who has been hampered by back tightness.
Offensive line
D.J. Humphries, Justin Pugh, Rodney Hudson, Will Hernandez, Kelvin Beachum, Josh Jones, Justin Murray, Sean Harlow, Lecitus Smith
Josh Miles doesn’t make the cut this year. He could be a trade candidate as a young, athletic tackle. Marquis Hayes also doesn’t make it.
Defensive line
J. J. Watt, Zach Allen, Rashard Lawrence, Michael Dogbe, Leki Fotu, Jonathan Ledbetter
Kingsley Keke is the perhaps surprise cut here. But Ledbetter played a lot in the preseason opener and showed versatility playing end and nose.
Outside linebacker
Markus Golden, Dennis Gardeck, Devon Kennard, Cameron Thomas, Myjai Sanders
The numbers make it impossible to keep more than this. Victor Dimukeje has looked good, but do you cut one of the draft picks to keep him?
Inside linebacker
Isaiah Simmons, Nick Vigil, Zaven Collins, Zeke Turner, Tanner Vallejo
There isn’t room for more right now with three quarterbacks and five running backs. Vallejo not playing in the preseason opener suggests that he is a lock for the roster.
Cornerback
Byron Murphy, Marco Wilson, Antonio Hamilton, Josh Jackson, Christian Matthew
We might see an added veteran but it looks like Matthew could make the squad. Jace Whittaker is another option, especially with his special teams prowess.
Safety
Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Charles Washington, James Wiggins
The final spot will come down to Wiggins and Deionte Thompson. Did Thompson sit out of the preseason game because of injury or because he is already counted on to be on the roster?
Specialist
Matt Prater, Andy Lee, Aaron Brewer
This is just how this is going to be.
