The Arizona Cardinals report for training camp on Tuesday, July 23 and soon the practices begin. Between the work on the practice field and competitively in the preseason, the 53-man roster will be determined and roles and jobs will be established.
As training camp begins for the Cardinals, there will be some notable position battles. Below are the battles to watch.
Backup quarterback
Clayton Tune was the backup last season as a rookie but his one start against Cleveland was awful. The Cardinals acquired Desmond Ridder in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. He has starting experience, having started 17 games in two NFL seasons.
Ridder is the favorite, but it will be a competition.
No. 2 running back; 3rd-down back
James Conner is the clear starter. Several players held the No. 2 job last year between Damien Williams, Keontay Ingram, Emari Demercado and Michael Carter.
This year, Carter and Demercado return with third-round rookie Trey Benson in the mix. Many believe Benson can emerge as the top backup, but that will be a battle to watch.
Likewise, after Demercado established him as the third-down, passing-down back as an undrafted rookie, he will have competition from Carter and free agent addition DeeJay Dallas.
‘Z’, slot receivers
No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to be the starting ‘X’ receiver. Michael Wilson showed potential at the other outside receiver spot at the ‘Z’ but then the Cardinals added veteran Zay Jones, who has more success in the NFL than anyone on the roster.
Greg Dortch could be the starting slot receiver, but so could Jones, who has a lot of experience in the slot.
The three-way battle between Wilson, Jones and Dortch will be interesting fo the two roles.
Tight end No. 2
Trey McBride will be the clear No. 1 tight end after his breakout 2023. Elijah Higgins played will in the No. 2 role late last season, but will rookie Tip Reiman and his blocking ability give him more playing time?
Left guard
Evan Brown seems to be the leader but the Cardinals had four different starters there last season and all have returned, and they added Isaiah Adams in the third round of the draft.
Nose tackle
In the Cardinals’ base defense, we can presume that Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols will be in the starting lineup. There seems to be a competition between Roy Lopez and Khyiris Tonga for the nose tackle job.
And if the Cardinals want to get L.J. Collier or rookie Darius Robinson in the starting lineup, Nichols can also play nose.
Cornerback
Sean Murphy-Bunting, signed to a three-year deal in free agency in the offseason, is presumed to be one of the two top corners for base defenses. But second-year players Garrett Williams, Star Thomas and Kei’Trel Clark, and rookies Max Melton and Elijah Jones all are vying for two spots in the defensive rotation.
Long snapper
Well, this one is hard to actually watch, but the Cardinals hand longtime vet Aaron Brewer, who is in is ninth season with the team, competing with rookie Joe Shimko.
Returner jobs
The new kickoff rule now makes this super intriguing as we don’t know who all will be in the mix. Greg Dortch handled returns last season. Dallas was very good at it in Seattle. Benson is capable. There will be plenty of competition.
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