Arizona Cardinals depth chart: Week 1 shows shift at pass rusher and more

Take it with a grain of salt, but the Arizona Cardinals’ depth chart to open Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills reflects life with a reduced 53-man roster and without its injured players, including rookie defensive tackle Darius Robinson and second-year linebacker BJ Ojulari.

At outside linebacker, there is one minor shakeup from the preseason.

Rookie Xavier Thomas has moved into a true backup spot behind Dennis Gardeck and ahead of Jesse Luketa, who had an edge on the depth chart over the 2024 fifth-round pick throughout the preseason.

The Arizona Cardinals’ Week 1 depth chart is out: pic.twitter.com/ntTbmMqDbv

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 3, 2024

Thomas posted five tackles, two for loss, and two sacks in the preseason.

Luketa had seven tackles and a sack himself.

He’s a 2022 seventh-round pick by Arizona who has 21 games of experience but has primarily been a special teams player. He did receive 132 defensive snaps on defense last season with the Cardinals.

It’s Greg Dortch szn at slot

Greg Dortch is not only on the first team at slot receiver alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson but listed as an “or” starter at both return positions. That all was expected but worth a mention.

Running back DeeJay Dallas, who made the team ahead of Michael Carter, is listed as a return man with Dortch for both kicks and punts. Dallas is fourth on the running back depth chart behind James Conner, rookie Trey Benson and second-year pro Emari Demercado, in that order.

The Cardinals have been open that there is some give and take about allowing Dortch to be rested while impacting special teams on top of his offensive duties.

Dortch is ahead of undrafted rookie Xavier Weaver on the depth chart. Weaver impressed in the preseason and beat out 2024 sixth-round pick Tejhuan Palmer, among others, to make the 53-man roster.

TE Tip Reiman has work to do

Arizona’s drafting of Illinois tight end Tip Reiman in the third round garnered looks since he fit with the team’s smash-mouth intentions so well, but his listing at third on the depth chart is interesting for several reasons.

For one, it means there is curiosity about how often he’ll be used to start the season, as he’s primarily a run-blocker. He caught a pass for three yards in the preseason.

But it’s also about who is No. 2 on the Cardinals’ depth chart behind Trey McBride, who is projected to produce big receiving numbers. That would be Elijah Higgins, a converted receiver who was picked up off waivers before the 2023 regular season began.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Higgins caught 14 passes (19 targets) for 163 yards over 11 games with Arizona last year.

It’s officially Evan Brown’s gig at left tackle

Most of the starting spots on the offensive line looked clear-cut heading into training camp.

Paris Johnson Jr. would take over for the departed D.J. Humphries at left tackle, center Hjalte Froholdt is back and newly extended, right guard Will Hernandez has his job on lock, while Arizona picked up Jonah Williams to start with Johnson leaving right tackle vacant.

Left guard was an open competition, but it’s Evan Brown’s gig to begin the year, his first with the Cardinals.

He looked like the favorite with 40 career starts, but most of those were at center or right guard for the Lions and Seahawks in the past three seasons.

Defensive line leaning on veterans while Darius Robinson is injured

Without Robinson, it is unchanged from the preseason at the interior of the defensive line, with defensive tackles Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols bracketing nose tackle Roy Lopez.

Second-year pro Dante Stills and veteran L.J. Collier will back up the tackles, while Khyiris Tonga is in the middle behind Lopez.

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