The Arizona Cardinals open training camp at the end of this month, so we will do a roster review, highlighting each player currently on the roster, going over last season, their salary and cap number, questions they face and what their expected roster status will be.
Next up is receiver Zach Pascal.
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2022, background
Pascal played for the Philadelphia Eagles last season in 2022. He played mostly special teams, logging 246 special teams snaps and 338 snaps on offense.
He didn’t do much in terms of production, catching only 15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown.
He signed with the Eagles after four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, with whom he made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2018.
He got to know Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon in Indy, followed him to Philly and now to Arizona.
2023 salary, cap hit
He signed a two-year deal in March worth $4.5 million.
His 2023 salary will be $1.08 million, the league minimum but he got a $3 million signing bonus.
His 2023 cap hit is $1.83 million.
Questions, challenges
Pascal is an established player in the league.
The question is what sort of role he will earn with the team. We know he will be a core special teams player. We don’t know how involved he will be on offense. He blocks very well and has size at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds.
He has produced in the past. In 2019 and 2020, he had over 40 catches and over 600 yards each year, scoring five touchdowns each season.
Does he have that in him again?
Roster outlook
Pascal is a roster lock.
There is no question about whether he will make the team. We just don’t know to what level he will be involved on offense.
He could be a starting receiver because of his size in base packages. In terms of priority in the passing game, he will likely be WR3-4.
