Arizona Cardinals defense came to play on Day 1 of padded training camp practice

GLENDALE — The first day of Arizona Cardinals padded training camp practice went off without a hitch on Monday. The biggest plus of the day was the fact no one left the field injured despite the upped intensity shoulder pads add to the equation.

It also gave the defense a chance to level the playing field a bit against a first-team offense that looked really smooth without the pads on entering Day 5 of camp.

More from the first padded practice of the Cardinals training camp:

– Roy Lopez and the first-team defensive line was on one Monday, with the Arizona native batting down a Kyler Murray pass and the unit as a whole pushing back the offense while getting pressure on Arizona’s signal callers.

Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols were two more names getting first-team reps along the interior, while Darius Robinson saw a lot of second-team looks.

😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/ira32wEsLt

— Cardinals Corner (@AZCardsCorner) July 30, 2024

– Garrett Williams and Max Melton were pests in the secondary, with the latter making it tough on Marvin Harrison Jr. on multiple occasions and the former continuing to make his mark out of the nickel.

The Arizona Cardinals defense turned in a strong day of work on Monday, including Max Melton, Garrett Williams and the defensive line. pic.twitter.com/MrYuZHegfH

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 30, 2024

After seemingly splitting time with Starling Thomas V to start camp, Melton got more run with the 1s.

That being said, Thomas continued to make a case for first-team reps, picking of Desmond Ridder, who was working with the second team, during 11-on-11 work.

Thomas is giving the coaching staff a lot to think about having stood out five days in.

– Murray may not have had the same kind of completion percentage he’s had early on in camp but he turned on the afterburners a few times on Monday.

He also continued his rapport with wide receiver Michael Wilson during red zone work.

Kyler Murray x Michael Wilson pic.twitter.com/r69EzTCHaB

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 29, 2024

And while he didn’t have the same success linking up with Harrison as he did the previous few days, the signal caller was not shy at throwing him the rock.

– For those thinking the RB2 battle was firmly between Michael Carter and rookie Trey Benson, Emari Demercado has something to say.

Throughout camp, Demercado has been a common occurrence subbing in for starter James Conner during first-team work.

It’s only been one day of pads, but his pass-protecting ability, which earned him valuable playing time as a rookie, has been on display early on.

Keeping Murray upright is crucial to a successful season, and it’s clear the Cardinals are liking what Demercado is bringing to the table so far.

Behind Conner and Demercado, Carter got first crack at second-team reps, with rookie Trey Benson subbing in for the veteran.

– Looking at the battle for QB2, Monday was a win for Clayton Tune, especially given what Ridder put on tape.

Ridder again found the defense for another interception this camp and could have very well had another.

Tune on the other hand showed off his legs and above all else, kept the ball out of harm’s way.

Either way, more needs to be seen from both with the battle far from over. No one has really separated themselves.

– Jon Gaines II continued to show off his versatility. After getting run at left guard and center earlier in camp, the second-year pro coming off a season-ending knee injury saw some action with the second team at right guard.

Gaines at the very least gives Arizona options along the interior as he works his way back to full go.

– Alongside Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins saw a healthy dose of first-team reps yet again. Higgins, who brings even more athleticism to the room after making the switch from wide receiver to tight end, was used on the line and out wide at times.

But it was rookie Tip Reiman who got some added looks with the first team, including in three-tight-end sets.

Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is getting creative with the different talents inside the TEs room and it was evident on Monday.

– As far as Arizona’s return game, Greg Dortch, DeeJay Dallas and Xavier Weaver were back fielding kicks on Monday.

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