CARDINALS CORNER

Arizona Cardinals WR Greg Dortch sees minimal snaps in loss vs. Eagles

Oct 10, 2022, 3:27 PM | Updated: 5:00 pm

Arizona Sports

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Greg Dortch filled in nicely for an injured Rondale Moore early on in the season.

Through the first three weeks of the year, Dortch was among the team’s top receiving threats alongside Hollywood Brown, racking up 20 catches (23 targets) for 198 yards and a touchdown.

But with Moore back in the mix, Dortch’s usage has taken a mighty dip over the past two weeks, with the wideout seeing just 27 snaps (36%) in Week 4 before a season-low two (3%) in Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s translated to just one catch for six yards.

Before this recent stretch, Dortch had seen no less than 59 defensive snaps and 71% of available reps.

A closer look at some of the other snap counts that stood out in Arizona’s 20-17 loss to Philadelphia:

Arizona Cardinals Week 5 snap counts

Zach Ertz: 64 offensive snap counts (93%)

Against the team he spent the majority of his playing days with, Ertz tied a season-high in terms of available snaps played.

He finished the afternoon with six catches (10 targets) for 48 yards.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want it bad, but at the end of the day when I went out there, I wasn’t thinking about playing those guys besides seeing familiar faces,” Ertz said. “It just felt like a normal football game.

“The only thing that … hit me was seeing all the green No. 86 jerseys in the stands. That was pretty special but other than that, once I saw that, it felt like a normal game.”

Rondale Moore: 63 offensive snaps (91%)

Moore saw his snaps tick up in his second week back from injury and turned in his best game of the season behind seven catches for 78 yards.

The wideout’s usage mirrored last year’s in the first half, with Moore seeing balls near or behind the line of scrimmage more times than not.

The second half, however, was a different story, with Moore getting down the field more as he gets back into the flow of the offense.

“Rondale is coming off those injuries and hasn’t practiced a lot,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Sunday. “I just think it’s time on task. You saw him get more comfortable in the second half and do what he can do, being shifty and making plays.

“We’re going to need him to be that guy for us on offense and kind of be that piece that can get in open space and make those extra yards.”

Eno Benjamin: 37 offensive snaps (54%)

And then there was one.

With James Conner, Darrel Williams and Jonathan Ward all leaving Arizona’s Week 5 matchup due to injury and Keaontay Ingram a healthy scratch, Benjamin was the last man standing in the running back room on Sunday.

And despite cramping up for most of the second half, he delivered, rushing five times for 28 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 28 yards.

“I thought Eno did a great job,” Kingsbury said. “He was cramping the entire second half really and just stayed out there and continued to make plays.

“It’s unfortunate that James and Darrel got hurt, but Eno stepped in and I’m really proud of that effort.”

Isaiah Simmons: 67 defensive snaps (92%)

Despite the blemish in the standings, Week 5 was a win-win for Simmons.

The star backer saw a season high in snaps and had his best game of 2022 in the process.

He finished with a career-high 13 combined tackles, eight of which were solo takedowns.

Simmons has recorded at least 83% of available defensive snaps over the last two matchups after seeing no more than 33% in Weeks 2 and 3.

And with Nick Vigil on the injured reserve and Simmons clearly taking a step forward after his early season lull, this trend should continue.

Trey McBride: 17 offensive snaps (25%)

The rookie McBride continues to register a good amount of snaps after seeing hardly any over the first three weeks of the season.

He did not register a catch or a target in the loss but now has three consecutive starts under his belt.

The re-signing of tight end Maxx Williams to the practice squad could eventually take some snaps away from the rookie, but it appears clear he is a part of the plan moving forward.