Category: Offseason countdown

11 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

It is Larry Fitzgerald days away from the Cardinals’ season opener!

The Arizona Cardinals trimmed their roster to 53 players and now await practice squad additions, waiver wire additions and potentially other moves in free agency.

They are only 11 days away from their first game of the regular season, which will be on the road September 8 against the Buffalo Bills.

No. 11 is a number that won’t likely ever be used again, as it will most certainly be retired.

It belonged to receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who is arguably the best Cardinals player in franchise history.

He spent 17 years with the team and has every career franchise receiving record. He is second in NFL-all-time history in receptions and receiving yards, behind only Jerry Rice. He will certainly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The countdown continues!

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.

 

15 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

It has been a while since the Cardinals had a decent No. 15.

The Arizona Cardinals play their final preseason game in one day. They must cut the roster to 53 players in three days.

They will play their first game of the regular season on the road against the Buffalo Bills in 15 days.

Second-year quarterback Clayton Tune is the player on the roster now wearing No. 15 but has not yet been impactful. He might end up being this year’s backup quarterback, though, as he appears to be ahead of Desmond Ridder for the job.

The Cardinals have a long list of recent players at No. 15, none who were worth much. You have to go back to receiver Michael Floyd from 2012-2016.

He was a first-round pick and had a 1,000-yard season in 2013. He never became the dominant receiver many believed he could be and ultimately was cut after a DUI arrest in 2016.

The countdown continues tomorrow.

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.

 

16 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

The Cardinals hope CB Max Melton is the next great No. 16 for them. The last one to make any impact was WR Trent Sherfield.

As we finish the work week of the final week of the preseason, the Arizona Cardinals are two days from their preseason finale, four days from having to cut the roster to 53 players and are 16 days away from their first game of the regular season.

They will take the field on the road against the Buffalo Bills in 16 days.

No. 16 on the roster is now rookie cornerback Max Melton, drafted in the second round this year. He has not yet made an impact but the hope is he will be a very good starter for many years.

No. 16 has not been a frequent impact number. Only two very impactful players have worn it. Most notably, quarterback Jake Plummer wore No. 16 from 1997-2002 and, before him, punter Rich Camarillo did from 1989-1993.

But the most recent player to have a reasonable impact was receiver Trent Sherfield, who spent 2018-2020 with the Cardinals.

He made the team in 2018 as an undrafted rookie and was one of the team’s key special teams players for three seasons. He caught 28 passes for 340 yards and a touchdown in three seasons.

He has played for three teams in the last three seasons. His best year has been in 2022 with the Miami Dolphins. He had 30 catches for 417 yards and two scores.

While with the Cardinals, he worked hard, took advantage of opportunities when they were given and played his butt off as a special teams player.

He had a nice NFL career, which is always good to see, especially for a player who was not drafted.

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.

 

17 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

There hasn’t been even a decent No. 17 on the Cardinals in a long time.

The Arizona Cardinals are three days away from their final preseason game. They are five days away from final cutdown day, when they must reduce the roster to 53 players.

And until they take the field on September 8 at Highmark Stadium on the road against the Buffalo Bills, they are 17 days away.

Receiver Dan Chisena currently wears No. 17. He probably will not make the roster. He has not yet made any real impact on the team.

In fact. No. 17 has been a dud of a number for some time. The most important player to wear it was quarterback Jim Hart. He played for the Cardinals from 1967-1983.

But the last guy to really have any sort of impact was quarterback Dave Brown, who was the Cardinals’ backup quarterback from 1998-2001 while Jake Plummer was the guy.

Brown was 3-4 in seven games as a starter.

He wasn’t a great No. 17 but he was the last guy to have any sort of reasonable impact with No. 17.

The countdown continues tomorrow.

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.

 

18 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

No. 18 is the number rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. wears. BJ Ojulari wore it and A.J. Green before him.

The Arizona Cardinals are four days from their preseason finale, six days from having to cut the roster down to 53 players and now only 18 days away from their first regular season game of the year.

They will take on the Buffalo Bills on the road on September 8, 18 days from today.

The Cardinals’ No. 18 is Marvin Harrison Jr., their top pick in the 2024 draft. He has not yet had an impact, although it is expected that he will be great, even as a rookie.

Last season, linebacker BJ Ojulari wore No. 18 as a rookie and had four sacks.

Before Ojulari, an impact player was receiver A.J. Green. While he was somewhat disappointing, over two seasons in 2021 and 2022, he 78 receptions for 1,084 yards and five touchdowns.

The countdown will continue tomorrow.

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.

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19 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

QB Desmond Ridder is No. 19 right now. WR KeeSean Johnson had some impact for the Cardinals in 2019-2020 as No. 19.

The Arizona Cardinals are one week away from the deadline to get their roster down to 53 players. They are five days away from their final preseason game, which is Sunday on the road against the Denver Broncos.

And as of today, they are 19 days away from their first regular season game, a road contest on September 8 against the Buffalo Bills.

No. 19 on the Cardinals’ roster is currently quarterback Desmond Ridder. Ridder has not yet played a regular-season game for the Cardinals.

He was acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Falcons for receiver Rondale Moore and was expected to be the Cardinals’ backup quarterback. However, his play in the offseason and preseason, combined with the progress of second-year quarterback Clayton Tune, has it appearing that he might not make the team.

No. 19 has not been a big-impact number historically for the Cardinals. It was third-string Trace McSorley’s number last season.

Quarterbacks John Skelton and Tom Tupa wore it.

The last player to make even a reasonable impact was receiver KeeSean Johnson. Johnson was drafted in the sixth round in 2019 out of Fresno State and showed promise as a pass catcher in preseason games and in training camp. He had 21 receptions as a rookie for 187 yards and a touchdown.

He played two seasons for the Cardinals, finishing with 36 receptions for 360 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t catch an other NFL pass after that.

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.

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20 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

DeeJay Dallas is the Cardinals’ current No. 20. CB Marco Wilson was a solid No. 20 until he wasn’t last season.

We begin the final week of the preseason six days from the Arizona Cardinals’ final preseason game, on the road against the Denver Broncos.

With that, we are also only 20 days away from the Cardinals’ season opener. they will take the field on September 8 at Highmark Stadium facing the Buffalo Bills on the road.

No. 20 currently belongs to new running back DeeJay Dallas, signed in the offseason to a three-year contract in free agency. He is expected to be the team’s top returner.

He hasn’t yet made an impact in the regular season, although he is expected to do so.

The last player to wear No. 20 and make an impact was cornerback Marco Wilson. He was a fourth-round pick out of Florida in 2021 and showed some promise. He started 37 games in three seasons and had a solid 2022 when he picked off three passes and broke up 10.

But last season, when he was supposed to be the team’s No. 1 corner, he was bad. He was benched after 11 games and then cut. He is now with the New England Patriots in a battle to make the team.

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.

 

21 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

Only 21 days till the start of the season. Garrett Williams has already been an impactful No. 21.

The Arizona Cardinals played their second preseason game Saturday night and have one preseason game left on the schedule. We are now three weeks away from the regular season.

In 21 days, the Cardinals will take the field against the Buffalo Bills on the road.

No. 21 is currently second-year cornerback Garrett Williams. He has already made a solid impact. He was drafted in the third round last year out of Syracuse and missed the first half of the season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered his last year of college.

Upon his return, he played in nine games, starting six, had an interception, two pass breakups and 23 total tackles.

He played primarily in the slot and is expected to be a full-time defender this year. He is expected to play outside in base downs and probably slide inside to play nickel.

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.

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23 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

Sean Murphy-Bunting wears No. 23 now. Robert Alford, when he was healthy, was a pretty good No. 23.

The Arizona Cardinals are one day away from their second preseason game of the year and a little more than three weeks away from games that count. In 23 days, they will take the field at Highmark Stadium on September 8 to take on the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 1.

No. 23 on the roster is currently veteran cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, a player they are counting on to bring steady play to the cornerback room.

He has not yet played a game for the Cardinals, as he was signed a to a three-year free agent contract this offseason. He obviously has not yet made an impact.

The last No. 23 to be impactful was a guy who should have made more of an impact but injuries robbed him of two seasons. That was cornerback Robert Alford. He was signed in 2019 to be the team’s No. 2 cornerback. He broke his leg in training camp. In 2020, he tore a pectoral muscle in camp and missed that season. Both times, he looked like perhaps the best defensive back on the team.

In 2021, he returned on a reduced contract and played 13 games of good football. He was the Cardinals’ most consistent cover guy but he got hurt late in the year again.

The countdown continues tomorrow.

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.

 

 

24 days till the Cardinals’ season opener vs. the Bills

CB Starling Thomas is the current No. 24 on the roster and appears set to be impactful after a decent rookie season.

The Arizona Cardinals are two days from their second preseason game of the year. They are also only 24 days away from their first regular-season game of the year.

In 24 days, they will take the field at Highmark Stadium to face the Buffalo Bills on the road.

No. 24 on the Cardinals’ roster is currently second-year cornerback Starling Thomas V.

Thomas didn’t have a great rookie season but did have an impact. He appeared in 12 games and started seven games. he had 38 total tackles and five pass breakups.

And so far this offseason, he has been a standout player. He might end up being a starter despite the Cardinals having drafted Max Melton in the second round at cornerback.

No. 24, of course, is most known for safety Adrian Wilson, who is a member of the Ring of Honor. Only two players for the Cardinals have played in a game with No. 24 since Wilson finished his Cardinals career.

It is Thomas and running back Darrel Williams, who wore it in 2022.

The countdown continues tomorrow.

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.