Cardinals preseason – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Kyler Murray, Clayton Tune, Cardinals-Broncos preview and roster cuts talk

Howard Balzer was on the radio talking Arizona Cardinals with Roc and Manuch.

Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer joined The Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B show on Fox Sports 910 AM Thursday to talk about the Aizona Cardinals.

Here’s what they talked about:

Are we seeing a different Kyler Murray? Howard mentioned Murray being on task, showing maturity and being comfortable with the coaches that are leading the team.
When asked if it’s a situation now where Murray doesn’t feel he has to win games by himself, Howard mentioned there were instances of that in recent seasons. But now, Murray is genuinely enthused with the players around him.
What is a realistic start for this team given how difficult the first seven games are against five 2023 playoff teams? It’s a tough stretch and a 2-5 record could be hard to overcome. They will have to “steal” a game or two against those playoff teams: Buffalo, the Rams, Detroit, San Francisco and Green Bay to be no worse than 3-4 at that point.
Is there significance in Clayton Tune being the starter again this week against the Broncos? He is the certainly the leader of the backup job and it will likely stay that way unless his play is very bad. The question is if they keep three quarterbacks, whether it’s Ridder on the roster or the practice squad if he would clear waivers, or if a new player is brought in for the practice squad.
How tough will the decisions be to get down to the 53-man roster? Hard because of the team’s improved depth. And there isn’t a lot of time between the end of the Denver game at about 4:30 Arizona time Sunday and the 1 p.m. deadline Tuesday.

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

What will the Cardinals’ roster look like next Wednesday? Here’s how it might play out

A look at the locks and players battling for a spot on the final roster.

It’s a bit less than four days when all NFL teams will have their rosters set at 53 players. For the Arizona Cardinals, there are obviously numerous decisions that will have to be made after Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos and by 1 p.m. Arizona time Tuesday.

Of course, in addition to the 53 on the active roster, there will be 17 on the practice squad that will begin being named on Wednesday, a total that includes tight end Bernhard Seikovits, who has an international exemption.

The practice squad is a large part of the choices being made because of the flexibility provided by two elevations available to the game-day roster. That can reduce the need to have a rostered player at some positions active when the practice squad can be utilized for that.

There is always consternation with cutting a potential practice-squad player that could be claimed on waivers.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon said they are a “huge” components of what happens. “Those are very meaningful spots for all kinds of reasons, but our practice-squad guys I don’t see those guys as never gonna get a jersey on game day,” Gannon said. “They gotta be ready to play at a moment’s notice. Those are important spots.”

At this moment, most anyone can come up with a big percentage of players that will be on the 53-man roster. The difficulty is identifying which of a large group of competitors will be either on the roster or practice squad. Any additional spot at a given position are affected by other positions.

With that said, I’ll take a stab at it. The following list has 41 players I believe are locks for the roster, with 22 that could go either way. The locks don’t include suspended wide receiver Zay Jones and injured defensive lineman Darius Robinson.

Quarterbacks

Locks (2): Kyler Murray, Clayton Tune

Battling (1): Desmond Ridder

Unless the bottom falls out Sunday, Tune has done enough to be Murray’s backup. The question is whether Ridder will be on the roster as the third quarterback, which Gannon has said is possible, or if the Cardinals put him on waivers with the hope of adding him to the practice squad.

Wide receivers

Locks (3): Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch

Battling (3): Zach Pascal, Xavier Weaver, Chris Moore

Reserve/suspended: Zay Jones

The Jones suspension for five games that was announced Friday could clear the way for Pascal and Weaver to be on the roster. They both have special-teams value, and there could be a decision between Weaver and running back DeeJay Dallas as kick returners.

Running backs

Locks (3): James Conner, Trey Benson, Emari Demercado

Battling (2): DeeJay Dallas, Michael Carter

Demercado is a valuable third-down back, while Dallas is a tough runner and kick returner with Carter simply a guy that makes plays when he’s on the field. Who will be the fourth and could they keep five?

Tight ends

Locks (3): Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins, Tip Reiman

Battling (2): Travis Vokolek, Blake Whiteheart

Vokolek and Whiteheart have a shot if the Cardinals keep four tight ends. If not, at least one will be on the practice squad.

Offensive linemen

Locks: (8): LT Paris Johnson Jr., LG Evan Brown, C Hjalte Froholdt, RG Will Hernandez, RT Jonah Williams, T Kelvin Beachum, C/G Jon Gaines II, G Isaiah Adams

Battling (3): G/T Elijah Wilkinson, C/G Trystan Colon, T Christian Jones

Two after the first eight will be on the roster or practice squad and maybe all three. Jones kept his head in the game against the Colts with no holding penalties in the second half after having four in the first two quarters and the Cardinals like his potential.

Defensive linemen

Locks (5): L.J. Collier, Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols, Roy Lopez, Dante Stills

Battling (1): Khyiris Tonga

Limbo (1): Darius Robinson

This is cut-and-dried, except for the status of Robinson as results of an MRI for a calf injury are pending. If a mild strain, he could be ready for the season opener or shortly afterward. If the injury is worse, he could land on short-term injured reserve, which would keep him sidelined for the first four games. The worst-case scenario is a complete tear with surgery necessary.

Edge rushers

Locks (5): Zaven Collins, Dennis Gardeck, Xavier Thomas, Cameron Thomas, Victor Dimukeje

Battling (2): Jesse Luketa, Tyreke Smith

The Cardinals kept six last season, so Luketa has a strong chance of being on the roster. But don’t count out Smith.

Inside linebackers

Locks (4): Kyzir White, Mack Wilson Sr., Krys Barnes, Owen Pappoe

Battling (2): Markus Bailey, Trevor Nowaske

It might be unlikely that five will be on the roster, but special teams could be the ticket for Bailey or Nowaske.

Cornerbacks

Locks (4): Sean Murphy-Bunting, Garrett Williams, Starling Thomas V, Max Melton

Battling (4): Elijah Jones, Kei’Trel Clark, Bobby Price, Divaad Wilson

Jones has stepped up in recent weeks and might have an edge if five corners are on the roster. Clark is also close.

Safeties

Locks (4): Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Dadrion (Rabbit) Taylor-Demerson, Andre Chachere

Battling (2): Joey Blount, Darren Hall

If five safeties are on the roster, it likely will be between Hall and Blount, who is a special teams demon. Hall is a versatile player the coaches like and can be considered a hybrid corner/safety.

Specialists

Locks (3): K Matt Prater, P Blake Gillikin, LS Aaron Brewer

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Cardinals-Broncos preseason preview: Q&A with Broncos Wire

Jon Heath takes Cardinals fans “behind enemy lines” and answers questions about the Broncos ahead of the preseason finale.

The Arizona Cardinals close the preseason on Sunday on the road against the Denver Broncos, a team the Cardinals frequently play in the preseason.

To prepare for the game, Broncos Wire managing editor Jon Heath takes us behind enemy lines to learn about the Broncos before they trim their roster to 53 players next week, answering a few questions.

Bo Nix

Jess Root: Was naming Nix the starter an awaited formality? How has he looked in camp and the preseason, and how much competition was there really for the starting job?

Jon Heath: It did feel like a formality all along. This was clearly the outcome that coach Sean Payton was hoping for, but he wasn’t going to hand Bo Nix the starting job. The rookie had to earn it, and he did. Jarrett Stidham has a year of experience in Payton’s offense, so he was real competition, but Nix looked better during training camp and preseason. It was a “real” competition in the sense that the Broncos let it play out, but this is the outcome that was expected.

Former Cardinal Zach Allen

JR: How has Zach Allen been since joining the Broncos? Is he expected to have a big year in 2024?

JH: He was excellent last season with a career-high 24 quarterback hits, 60 total tackles and five sacks. He was easily Denver’s best defensive lineman last year and that drew him some extra attention from opposing teams. After the Broncos brought in John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach this spring, Allen should be freed up to get more one-on-one matchups in 2024, so he should be headed for a strong campaign.

Starters in the preseason game?

JR: Who can Cardinals fans expect to see playing for the Broncos? Will Nix get any time? Any starters at all?

JH: Payton will announce the team’s game plan on Friday, but I would expect most starters to be rested. Nix is somewhat of a wild card because he’s a rookie without many reps, but the Broncos won’t want to risk him getting injured playing a drive with the second-string offense. If Nix and the starters do play on Sunday, it won’t be many snaps.

Sean Payton

JR: What is your assessment for the Sean Payton era so far? Can he get the Broncos back to what they have been?

JH: They went 8-9 last year, which obviously isn’t a winning record but it was the team’s best finish since Gary Kubiak stepped down following the 2016 season. Between Kubiak and Payton, Denver went through four different coaches in a six-year span. Payton will hopefully provide some stability for the franchise going forward. He got “his guy” in Nix this spring and there’s optimism that Payton and Co. can take another step forward in 2024. We’ll see.

Bo or Kyler?

JR: If you had the choice, would you take Nix or Kyler Murray as he currently is as your starting quarterback? Why?

JH: You’re killing me with this question, Jess! I think you have to answer Murray — he has 65 career starts under his belt and has played well enough to be considered a franchise quarterback, in my opinion. Broncos Country hopes Nix reaches that status, but until we see it demonstrated on the field, it’s just potential, whereas Murray is a known quantity. The only reason one might consider giving the edge to Nix is that he’s more than three years younger than Murray, and Murray has had some injuries. Nix could develop into a better QB than Murray in the future, but at this very moment, you have to go with the proven veteran.

A big thanks to Jon for taking the time to give us some insight to the Broncos!

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Cardinals’ backup QB battle close to final decision

Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune are battling for the backup spot on the Cardinals. Drew Petzing is happy with how both have played.

The earth-shaking report came from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport Thursday, saying that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Clayton Tune would start in Sunday’s preseason finale against the Denver Broncos.

The report also claimed the Cardinals “could” keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster that will be named by 1 p.m. Arizona time Tuesday, but will also be fluid every day after that.

Well, of course, they “could.” They also could keep only two.

Tune was a fifth-round pick in 2023, while Ridder was acquired in a trade in March for wide receiver Rondale Moore, who is now on the Falcons’ injured reserve list.

In the first two preseason games and training camp, Tune has been the better player, especially with accuracy.

Thursday morning, when offensive coordinator Drew Petzing spoke to the media, he downplayed the significance of who starts a preseason game, while not confirming the plan for Sunday in Denver.

“I know people are going to make a big deal of who starts the game. I don’t really see it that way,” he said. “Competitions at every position are going to come down to final cuts. That’s the nature of this business; it’s the reality of training camp. So, excited to see those guys go out and play, and play at a high level and expect them to do that regardless of who is in the game first.”

Petzing said he’s liked what both players have done in the two games against the Saints and Colts.

He said, “The game-day operation; I thought it’s been pretty clean. I thought the ball is going where it should be. Certainly, there are some plays we’d like to have back. It takes 11 guys to operate an offense. So a lot of that is not always on their performance one way or the other, good and bad.

“A lot of it for the quarterback is decision-making, operation and are we doing we doing what we should be at the position. We’ve done some things well. There’s certainly things we need to clean up for both guys and that’s gonna be true throughout the year for everybody on this roster.”

Noting the importance of having backups prepared to play, Petzing said, “The reality of the NFL game is that guys get hurt. It’s unfortunate, but it’s real. The quarterback position had what, 60-plus starters last year in the National Football League? So, you want everybody on that roster, if they have a jersey, to be ready to go, ready to operate the offense, ready to give us the best chance to win.

“That’s preached in the meeting room as a team. It’s certainly preached by me as an offense. And that’s gotta be our mindset.”

As for how Tune has improved from his rookie season, Petzing said, “The pace of play is faster. He’s making decisions faster, in and out of the huddle he’s quicker. The operation; he’s not thinking. For Year 1, which is true for a lot of rookies, certainly at the quarterback position, you can almost watch them think as they play. Which is not ideal.

“Going into Year 2, it’s a lot more anticipation and a lot more like quick-twitch reaction rather than, ‘Oh they did this, now I do that.’ It’s like, ‘No, it’s I think they’re about to do this, so I’m going to be ready to do that. And I think that’s really helped speed up his process and allowed him to play at a good level.”

Of Ridder, Petzing said, “He came in here and learned the offense very quickly and put himself in position to be part of this competition.”

However, the big question remains: Will the Cardinals keep two or three quarterbacks? Asked what he would prefer, noting it’s not his call and that general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon will do that, Petzing smiled and said, “That’s the best part about it; I don’t have to make that decision.”

He then said, “If you have guys that play the position at a high level, you absolutely want them on the roster. We talked about it; 60-plus guys started (last season). You never know who you’re gonna need at what point.”

Of course, he knows it’s not as simple as keeping two or three.

“There’s so many things that go into that conversation and it’s usually not just about that position,” Petzing said. “It’s about a number of other positions and how it fits the roster. That’s gonna be a job for Monti and JG to work through here over the next couple days. Certainly, I want to make that conversation hard on them and make sure that they’re really confident that those guys are ready to go regardless of who’s called in to play the game.”

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Potential injury concern for Cardinals rookie DL Darius Robinson 2 weeks before season’s start

Robinson will have imaging done Friday for an injury suffered on Thursday.

Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson, one of their two first-round draft picks this year, will have imaging done on Friday for an injury he suffered on Thursday, league sources revealed to Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer.

Robinson is expected to be a key part of the defensive line rotation this season for the Cardinals and, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon, has a chance to be a starter.

Robinson was on the field participating during the open parts of practice on Wednesday and Thursday.

With a role secured for his rookie season, he likely would not have played in the Cardinals’ preseason finale on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. He did not play in the Cardinals’ preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts last weekend.

Fans will cross their fingers for an injury that is not serious. The Cardinals already lost second-year outside linebacker BJ Ojulari for the season to a torn ACL.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon will address the media Friday morning about 9 a.m. before the team’s final practice of the week. He probably won’t have any details then, so we probably won’t know for a couple of days whether the injury is minor or more.

The Cardinals will open the season in 17 days, on September 8 on the road against the Buffalo Bills.

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Updated Cardinals defensive, ST depth chart for preseason finale

A look at the depth chart for the defense and special teams for the Cardinals entering the preseason finale.

The Arizona Cardinals have their preseason finale on Sunday on the road against the Denver Broncos. They released their final preseason depth chart earlier in the week. Before doing so, they signed a pair of defensive players, so they appear.

Nothing has really changed since the start of the preseason, and head coach Jonathan Gannon has said not to pay attention to the depth chart, but here is what it looks like on defense and on special teams.

Defensive line

Left defensive tackle

Bilal Nichols
Darius Robinson
Ben Stille
Myles Murphy

Nose tackle

Roy Lopez
L.J. Collier
Kyiris Tonga
Phil Hoskins

Right defensive tackle

Justin Jones
Dante Stills
Naquan Jones
T.J. Carter

Outside linebacker

Strong side

Zaven Collins
Victor Dimukeje
Cameron Thomas
Tyreke Smith

Weak side

Dennis Gardeck
Jesse Luketa
Xavier Thomas
Chris Garrett

Inside linebacker

MIKE

Kyzir White
Krys Barnes
Markus Bailey
Trevor Nowaske

Other position

Mack Wilson
Owen Pappoe
Tyreek Maddox-Williams

Cornerback

One side:

Starling Thomas
Max Melton
Bobby Price
Michael Ojemudia

Other side

Sean Murphy-Bunting
Kei’Trel Clark
Elijah Jones
Delonte Hood

Slot

Garrett Williams
Divaad Wilson
Jaden Davis

Safety

Strong safety

Budda Baker
Andre Chachere
Joey Blount

Free safety

Jalen Thompson
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
Verone McKinley
Darren Hall

Specialists

Punter/Holder

Blake Gillikin

Kicker

Matt Prater

Long snapper

Aaron Brewer

Kick returner

Greg Dortch or DeeJay Dallas
Emari Demercado
Chris Moore

Punt returner

Greg Dortch or DeeJay Dallas
Xavier Weaver

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Updated Cardinals offensive depth chart for preseason finale

The cardinals play their final preseason game Sunday. Here is there offensive depth chart.

The Arizona Cardinals made some roster moves early in the week and released their final depth chart of the preseason, as they face the Denver Broncos on the road on Sunday.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon has said to not pay attention to the actual depth chart, as it means very little at this point.

But we still like to see it.

Check out what the depth chart looks like on offense in this final week of the preseason.

Quarterback

Kyler Murray
Desmond Ridder
Clayton Tune

Nothing has changed, although it feels like Tune is probably ahead of Ridder at this point. Tune will start the preseason finale.

Running back

James Conner
Trey Benson
Emari Demercado
DeeJay Dallas
Michael Carter
Tony Jones Jr.
Hassan Hall

This remains unchanged but it probably will hold true when it comes to roster cutting time.

Wide receiver

‘X’ receiver

Marvin Harrison Jr.
Chris Moore
Dan Chisena
Daylen Baldwin

‘Z’ receiver

Michael Wilson
Zach Pascal
Tejhaun Palmer

Slot receiver

Greg Dortch
Zay Jones
Andre Baccellia
Xavier Weaver

Baldwin was added last week. In terms of the roster, Weaver is probably ahead of Baccellia.

Tight end

Trey McBride
Elijah Higgins
Tip Reiman
Travis Vokolek
Blake Whiteheart
Bernhard Seikovits

The Cardinals have since signed Sage Surratt, so he would likely be at the back of the list.

Offensive line

Left tackle

Paris Johnson
Kelvin Beachum
Christian Jones

Left guard

Evan Brown
Isaiah Adams
Austen Pleasants

Center

Hjalte Froholdt
Jon Gaines
Keith Ismael

Right guard

Will Hernandez
Trystan Colon
Marquis Hayes

Right tackle

Jonah Williams
Elijah Wilkinson
Jackson Barton

Dennis Daley is no longer on here following his release.

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Clayton Tune to start preseason finale vs. Broncos

The backup QB job for the Cardinals will come down to the final preseason game with Tune starting.

Perhaps the most notable position battle on the Arizona Cardinals is at backup quarterback between Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune. Ridder is listed as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart behind Kyler Murray, but Tune has looked better in the preseason.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Tune will get the start in the Cardinals’ preseason finale against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Ridder will play but later in the game.

This would perhaps suggest that Tune is either ahead of Ridder in the battle or at least close enough the coaches want to give him the opportunity to show it again.

Rapoport noted that it is possible that the Cardinals keep all three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

That would be a change from what they have done previously. They had only two quarterbacks on their roster all last season.

Through two preseason games, Tune has completed 23-of-34 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown, getting sacked five times.

Ridder is 10-for-19 passing for 116 yards and has been sacked twice.

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Cardinals preseason stock up, stock down; potential surprise cuts

Jess Root and Seth Cox have a lot to talk about in the lates edition of the podcast.

The Arizona Cardinals are less than a week away from when they have to cut their roster down to 53 players. They played their second preseason game, losing to the Indianapolis Colts.

With a lot to talk about, Seth Cox and I had plenty of topics to discuss in the latest edition of the podcast.

We started reacting to the good and the bad of the game, noting how quarterback Desmond Ridder’s play might have cost him a spot on the roster. In terms of positives, there was a lot to like with the play of linebacker Cameron Thomas, guard Isaiah Adams, safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and running back Trey Benson.

The bad? That was tackle Christian Jones.

We also talk about what we think of the Cardinals’ strategy of keeping all their starters out of preseason games.

Lastly, we go over a few names that could be surprise cuts for the Cardinals or potential trade pieces.

Enjoy the show!

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Cardinals roster back at 91 after signings of T.J. Carter and Chris Garrett

The Cardinals signed two of the players they brought in for workouts on Monday.

With one week until the cutdown to 53 players, the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday signed two of three players that had tryouts the day before.

Added to the roster were defensive lineman T.J. Carter and linebacker Chris Garrett, whose signing had been reported Monday. Linebacker Ikenne Enechukwu was the other player that tried out.

The Cardinals were at 90 players on the roster after the release of guard/tackle Dennis Daley Monday. To make room for Carter and Garrett, rookie free agent long snapper Joe Shimko was placed on waivers.

Carter (6-4, 289) entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Cardinals in 2020, but was waived as training camp was opening on July 26. He was also on the roster of the Saints, Steelers and Rams. Carter played two games for the Rams in 2022 and had one tackle. He was waived on August 29, 2023, and played five games for the UFL’s Michigan Panthers where he had seven tackles this past season.

Garrett (6-4, 245) was selected by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2021 draft and played one game and was inactive for 14 that season. He was waived on Aug. 30, 2022, and then signed to the Vikings practice squad where he was until being released on Jan. 3, 2023. He was signed to the Seahawks practice squad a week later for their playoff game and then signed a futures contract with Seattle on Jan. 16. However, he was waived on May 22.

Garrett played for the USFL’s Houston Gamblers in 2023 and then this past UFL season with the St. Louis Battlehawks where he was named Special Teams Player of the Year. During the season, he blocked two punts, and totaled 22 tackles, adding two forced fumbles and one sack in seven games.

Also Tuesday, the Cardinals had tryouts with tight end Kaden Smith and wide receiver Sage Surratt.

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. Sub scribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.