What did we learn from Cardinals’ preseason loss to the Cowboys?

GLENDALE — The Arizona Cardinals got another preseason game out of the way Saturday night in their 34-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

And while there were four quarters of action to dissect, it was the developments off the field that quickly stood out.

Of the potential starters, the defense greatly outweighed the offense.

Outside of Teagan Quitoriano, who could be Arizona’s primary blocking tight end to start the season with Tip Reiman (ankle) already ruled out, it was largely an off day for Arizona’s projected offensive starters.

Defensively, however, there were plenty of potential starters getting run on Saturday.

Among the most notable was defensive lineman Darius Robinson.

After a strong training camp, Robinson has regressed to the mean with his preseason showings.

He’s expected to start alongside Roy Lopez and Walter Nolen III, though it’s clear Arizona wants to see more out of the 2024 first-round pick.

Speaking of the interior defensive line, Andrew Billings also found himself among potential regular-season starters on the field.

Billings’ spot on the roster feels locked up, though his battle with Lopez for starting nose tackle is still very much in motion.

Billings quickly caught the eyes of many for his Hall of Fame game play (and his massive size). I would imagine his preseason participation is done after Saturday.

The same goes for inside linebacker Cody Simon.

Jack Gibbens has emerged as the likely starting option opposite MIKE backer Mack Wilson Sr. in what has been a tight competition between newcomer and incumbent.

But Simon getting extra run on Saturday proves Gibbens is a step ahead in that department.

Overall, the defense continues to show signs of weakness.

Sure, it is the preseason and a hefty portion of Arizona’s starters are sidelined, but the unit continues to look like the liability many felt it was heading into the offseason with minimal additions.

Watching Cowboys running back Phil Mafah look dead to rights only for him to cut back across the field for a touchdown late in the game was the prime example of the defensive issues.

Phil Mafah zooms in for a Cowboys TD 👏

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Not great!

The magnifying glass remains firmly on holdover defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, and it’s likely not going away anytime soon.

More takeaways from Cardinals-Cowboys

Cardinals’ CB2 battle is coming down to the wire

The list of potential starters didn’t stop there, as both Max Melton and Denzel Burke roamed the secondary for the first half alongside Sean Murphy-Bunting at nickel. Will Johnson was given the night off.

Melton and Burke continue to go back and forth for CB2. Burke entered camp as the favorite, but Melton has made up ground this offseason.

This one could come down to whoever performs better next week during the Cardinals’ joint practice with the Green Bay Packers.

Rabbit still trailing Dewey

Sticking in the secondary, Dadrion Rabbit Taylor-Demerson was back out there for another exhibition.

It’s clear he’s behind veteran Andrew Wingard for the safety spot opposite Budda Baker.

To make matters worse, Taylor-Demerson exited the game with a rib injury.

Notable DNPs

Not seeing most of Arizona’s starters take the field on Saturday was a given.

Not seeing Jon Gaines II or running back Bam Knight take the field solidified the thinking that both have done more than enough to earn a roster spot.

Gaines has become Arizona’s swing guard with the season-ending injury to rookie Chase Bisontis, while Knight has outplayed his competition in the running backs room.

That includes Trey Benson, who just can’t stay healthy.

Not a good sign

Cardinals draft picks BJ Ojulari and Elijah Jones continue to be on cut watch as they continue to stack preseason reps late into games.

Ojulari in particular has struggled this preseason, whereas Jones is in a tightly contested cornerbacks room.

It’s hard to imagine Arizona keeping both players come cutdown day.

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy

LaFleur is no nonsense when it comes to offensive operation.

After Saturday’s performance, he’s going to be hammering that home even more.

One of the biggest issues was the pair of nullified touchdowns due to holding and offensive pass interference, respectively.

The worst part? They both came on the same drive. The pair of penalties were also committed by tight end Rivaldo Fairweather.

The Cardinals failed to find paydirt that drive and instead settled for a 38-yard field goal from Chad Ryland.

The issues didn’t stop there, though.

Running back Corey Kiner was flagged for a false start on Dallas’ one-yard line. The next play, Minshew was sacked, and again, Arizona had to live with a Ryland field goal.

Offensive lineman Matt Pryor was also flagged for the same deep in Dallas territory on the same drive that had the two nullified scores.

Preseason or not, those are going to be major points of emphasis to clean up with joint practice on deck.

No punter, no problem

Ryland had a busier day than anticipated due to a pregame groin injury to punter Blake Gillikin.

With Gillikin questionable to kick (he still held for Ryland), the kicker filled in as Arizona’s punter.

He booted two punts, one for 39 yards and another for 44. The first was down at Dallas’ 25-yard line, while the second landed in the end zone for a touchback.

As for his day job, Ryland went 2-for-3 on field goal attempts. He converted 38- and 31-yard kicks but missed wide right on a 62-yarder.

Simi Fehoko shines

Michael Wilson was onto something when he called Simi Fehoko arguably the greatest preseason wide receiver of our time.

OK, maybe that’s a little much, but Fehoko continues to shine under the exhibition lights.

It wasn’t perfect, with Fehoko slipping on a play that resulted in an interception, but he bounced back with some explosive plays down the field.

This catch by Simi Fehoko 🔥

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The numbers game of 53-man roster cuts looms large in the WRs room, with six likely kept.

Fehoko is squarely on the bubble. Jalen Brooks and Reggie Virgil represent his biggest competition for that final spot.

Up for the challenge

It only took three games for LaFleur to throw the red challenge flag.

In the second quarter, running back Corey Kiner came to rest right at the goal line.

Originally ruled down before crossing the plane, LaFleur left the challenge flag fly.

Unfortunately for the head coach, he’s 0-1 on challenges after Kiner was confirmed down.

At least he got the first one out of the way, right?

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