The Cardinals and the rest of the NFL will have to trim five players from their roster to get down to 85 by Tuesday afternoon.
The NFL is treating roster cuts slightly differently in 2021 than in years past. After each team’s preseason game, excluding the Hall of Fame Game, they must make cuts by the following Tuesday.
This Tuesday, following the Arizona Cardinals’ 19-16 preseason-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys at State Farm Stadium, they must trim five players from the roster.
The rosters must go from 90 players to 85 this Tuesday. After next week’s preseason games, by the following Tuesday, rosters must be down to 80 players.
After the preseason finale, again by Tuesday afternoon, rosters must be cut down to the final 53. Gone are the days of waiting all Saturday for the team to announce cuts, it will be a Tuesday.
The first five cuts won’t necessarily be hard to make. If they get defensive linemen healthy, they can cut ties with some of the recent signings.
If they don’t get healthy on the defensive line, then it won’t be hard to trim a player from multiple positions — receiver, cornerback, running back, offensive line, outside linebacker, etc.
These first five cuts are tough for the players involved, but they won’t be surprises for fans.
These players either helped or hurt their cases to make the final roster.
The Arizona Cardinals got their first action of the preseason Friday night and many young players got their first extended action since entering the NFL, as there was no preseason in 2020.
The Cardinals defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19-16 at State Farm Stadium Friday night, thanks to two Matt Prater field goals in the final two minutes, including a 47-yard kick as time expired.
But the preseason is more about individual performances than the team results, especially for those players battling for a spot on the final 53-man roster.
Below are some players whose stock rose and fell based on their performance Friday night.
The Arizona Cardinals elected not to have their stars play in the preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said last week he planned on quarterback Kyler Murray getting some work in the preseason opener along with other starters. That will not be the case as the Cardinals take on the Dallas Cowboys in the preseason opener.
Murray and other known stars on the team did not dress for Friday’s game.
In addition to Murray, receiver DeAndre Hopkins, linebacker Chandler Jones and safety Budda Baker will not face the Cowboys.
Many starters are out with injuries, such as the entire projected defensive line, guards Justin Murray and Brian Winters, as well as receiver A.J. Green.
But the Cardinals’ healthy Pro Bowl-caliber players sat out the opener.
With Murray sitting, backup quarterback Colt McCoy will play behind the starting offensive line, while the starting receivers are expected to be KeeSean Johnson, Christian Kirk and Andre Baccellia.
After getting limited work as a rookie and then having a full offseason and a preseason, he should have a big year.
The Arizona Cardinals are placing a heavy responsibility on second-year linebacker Isaiah Simmons in 2021. After getting limited snaps as a rookie, he viably could play every snap this season.
Whenever I see NFL teams selecting multi-position defensive players early enough in the draft to virtually force a starting role sooner than later, I’m reminded of something Casey Stengel once said on another matter: “They say it can’t be done, but sometimes that doesn’t always work.” Unless your coaches have an absolute plan for such a player, that player will get lost in transition until and unless such a plan comes together.
This was the case for Simmons, the former Clemson weapon everywhere from the defensive line to the slot, who the Cardinals selected with the eighth overall pick. General manager Steve Keim has long been interested in multi-positional players — his history with that goes back to former draft picks Tyrann Mathieu in 2013 and Deone Bucannon in 2014 — so you would assume that Simmons would come on board with a specific goal in mind for his unique gifts.
That didn’t really happen. Simmons started just seven games last season, playing 89 snaps on the defensive line, 193 in the box, 71 in the slot, eight at free safety, and 15 at slot cornerback. He was predominantly effective as an interior blitzer and coverage guy, but overall, it seemed that option anxiety got the better of him.
It would be unfair to say the Cardinals didn’t have a plan. With no offseason or preseason, it would have been irresponsible to have expected him to play the six positions he learned regularly.
The perfect player that should not only win the job but take on a bigger role with the team is second-year wide receiver Andy Isabella.
The Arizona Cardinals had a busy offseason dealing with both transactions and opt-outs due to COVID-19 concerns. The biggest splash of the offseason was trading for Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. That gives Kyler Murray three lethal targets to throw to: Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, and Christian Kirk. However, that fourth wide receiver spot is wide open and the perfect player that should not only win the job but take on a bigger role with the team is second-year wide receiver Andy Isabella.
The 2019 NFL Draft class was loaded with impressive speed at the wide receiver position, including guys like Deebo Samuel, Paris Campbell and Andy Isabella. Isabella ran a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at the combine and his speed is something that should not be overlooked. He is in the shadow of the other big three receivers. But, once he is used the right way, he could really be a key part of the Cardinals’ offense. Even though he is undersized, he has the talent to make people overlook that case. He is a crisp route runner and his hands have gotten better throughout the years. The one concern with Isabella is his blocking skills due to his size and body frame. Luckily, the Cardinals have two big-bodied receivers ahead of him. However, if he wants to be used in a bigger role as he should, that is something he will have to develop to improve his game.
Hakeem Butler had a lot of hype coming into the draft due to his breakout season in his last year at Iowa State and an impressive showing at the 2019 NFL Combine. Unlike Isabella, Butler exceeds in blocking, a trait that makes him stand out among the other young wide receivers on the Cardinals. Some even had Butler as first-round talent, but he fell all the way to the fourth. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the combine, which is astonishing for a player his size, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds. There is a lot of potential in him, but he is highly unproven as he went down with a major avulsion fracture that sidelined him for his rookie season.
The other major name is KeeSean Johnson, Who was the third receiver drafted by the Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson has shown sparks at times when he is given the opportunity. He also has impressive hands, posting a 4.8% drop rate, according to RotoWire. He is also another guy that has developed his route running skills, which impressed the Cardinals early. The biggest concern with Johnson is that his speed is not something that will jump out at you. It poses a question as to whether he can keep up with elite defenders like Richard Sherman twice a year or not.
Andy Isabella, Hakeem Butler and KeeSean Johnson all have different weaknesses, but one is more proven than the others. With his speed, impressive route-running skills and reliability, Andy Isabella has made a case for that fourth wide receiver spot and an even bigger role with the Cardinals in 2020.
