Players to watch as Cardinals wrap preseason vs. Broncos
Aug 29, 2019, 9:24 AM | Updated: 11:24 am
Arizona Cardinals starters won’t play Thursday in the preseason finale against the Denver Broncos.
Many of those who will suit up are fighting for roster spots. Arizona general manager Steve Keim weeks ago threatened the team, reminding them that they’re not only competing against each other to make the 53-man roster but the rest of the NFL.
Arizona is first in the waiver wire claim order, after all, and Keim expects to be aggressive in looking for upgrades once teams chop their rosters down over the weekend.
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Even for players confident about their roster inclusions entering Thursday, there’s plenty of value in the game at Denver that will air on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station. It’s a last chance to get meaningful game experience.
Below, you’ll find a list of players, broken down by position, who will be using the Week 4 preseason game as their last audition tape or last shot at growing more comfortable in the Cardinals schemes before the 53-man roster cuts and regular season.
OTs Rees Odhiambo and Josh Miles
With an apparent trade of projected swing tackle Korey Cunningham to the New England Patriots, the Cardinals’ offensive line depth chart suddenly looks even more concerning. Odhiambo began camp as the apparently left tackle backup, but Cunningham took his spot. Recently, seventh-round pick Miles has garnered more and more reps.
The Cardinals either already concluded something before trading Cunningham, have another roster move ready to go or both. They definitely want to see a lot more of their current tackles in the Broncos game.
WRs Damiere Byrd and Pharoh Cooper
Who’s playing at wide receiver, and how well they do, could be telling Thursday. Byrd (pictured) has gotten first-team run quite a bit throughout camp and in preseason games thus far. Kingsbury said starters won’t play, and there’s the expectation that Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and eventually Michael Crabtree will be those guys. Byrd, however, brings elite speed to the table.
Cooper could very well be a starting punt return candidate, but one would expect he plays against the Broncos as the team gets one last look at his receiving capabilities, which he said he wanted to improve heading into this past offseason.
ILBs Joe Walker, Dennis Gardeck and Zeke Turner
Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph threw a little confusion into the mix by giving Walker first-team reps in Week 3 of the preseason. Walker, who had a minor injury the week prior, looked like he was just behind fellow inside linebacker Dennis Gardeck on the depth chart. But he started ahead of Gardeck, who had not been his consistent self in the first two preseasons outings.
If ILB Haason Reddick begins 2019 sidelined as his finishes his rehab from knee surgery, is it Walker or Gardeck who replaces him in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions? In any case, the Cardinals will want to force-feed game experience to Walker, Gardeck and Turner if needed to play a significant role sooner or, hopefully, later.
DL Michael Dogbe, Miles Brown and Bruce Hector
It’s felt more and more like Dogbe (pictured) could make the roster, and his impact — albeit as a backup — in the preseason has been catching the eye. With losses to the Cardinals defensive line, he might be relied upon more than they initially thought. Brown made three tackles, two for loss, last week and as nose tackle Corey Peter’s backup could arguably make the roster as an undrafted rookie. He appeared light on his feet for a 320-pound man.
Then there’s Hector, the newcomer from the Philadelphia Eagles. He’ll be learning scheme midgame after being acquired in the past week, but this still could be an audition game for him to make the roster after Arizona traded safety Rudy Ford to fill a need.
RBs D.J. Foster, Dontae Strickland and Wes Hills
In the past week, Kingsbury glowed about the speed factor and hole-hitting ability that third-string running back T.J. Logan brings to the table. Logan is also a candidate to be the lead kick return man. After that, it’s a wonder if the Cardinals want or even need to carry four running backs into the regular season. ASU and Saguaro High School product D.J. Foster (pictured) has the versatility as a pass-catcher and running back that would seemingly fit perfectly into Kingsbury’s offense, but he’s experienced drops and few opportunities to show that he’s recovered from an ACL tear before last season began.
Undrafted free agent Dontae Strickland, who played at Syracuse, has gotten only a handful of carries in game action thus far. Wes Hills, out of Delaware, led the team in rushing with eight carries for 37 yards and a score in the preseason opener.
CBs Brandon Williams and Chris Jones
Even once Williams came off the PUP list during training camp, he’s been on and off the field too much to gain a perspective on his health status and likelihood to make the team. Considering the thin cornerback depth, it would be good if Williams (pictured) could show that he’s close to knocking some rust off at Denver.
As for Jones, here’s to assuming he will get plenty of reps for a final time before he’s relied upon — at least in nickel packages — when the regular season begins, barring any waiver-wire pickups that usurp him as the No. 3 corner available.
TEs Darrell Daniels and Caleb Wilson
Arizona hasn’t neglected the tight ends! They’ve been used as receivers and it seems Kingsbury might also deploy them as versatile H-backs, who can act as lead blockers for running backs and then eject out of the backfield to become receiving threats.
It’s a numbers game behind Charles Clay and Maxx Williams, who appear likely to make the cut. Ricky Seals-Jones appears to be the third option considering his experience, but don’t sleep on Darrell Daniels or this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Caleb Wilson (pictured). Both can use Thursday to make a case for themselves to stick.
