Cardinals’ Greg Dortch could be in for a big Week 3 vs. Lions

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Greg Dortch is finally getting the opportunity he’s fought for since entering the league in 2019.

A more consistent presence in the Cardinals offense as Arizona’s starting slot man, Dortch has already paced the team in receiving yards once (Week 1).

“When you have that role and you have that security — he’s a hungry dude anyways; he’s had to earn everything he’s received in his life — it’s definitely allowed him to just be himself,” quarterback Kyler Murray said Wednesday.

Where is Cardinals WR Greg Dortch’s confidence level at after stacking joint practices on top of his strong training camp?

“Confidence has always been high. … Hopefully when I play you can see it.” pic.twitter.com/c8LyT8gzvZ

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) August 16, 2024

Now up against a Detroit Lions defense in Week 3 that struggled mightily against Tampa Bay Buccaneers slot man Chris Godwin this past Sunday, there’s a real chance Dortch could find himself atop the stat sheet for a second time in three weeks.

All but one catch throughout Godwin’s 117-yard, one-touchdown performance came out of the slot. All six went for no less than 10 yards. That included a 41-yard TD, three more catches of at least 17 yards and four first downs gained.

Outside of Godwin’s performance, it was a relatively quiet day for some of the Buccaneers’ other playmakers. Mike Evans finished with three catches for 42 yards. Quarterback Baker Mayfield led Tampa Bay’s rushing attack with 34 rushing yards and a touchdown on five carries. Former Arizona State Sun Devil and running back Rachaad White accounted for 18 yards on 10 attempts.

Even if Dortch doesn’t put up Godwin-like numbers out of the slot in Week 3 — the Cardinals do have more pass-catching talent overall than the Buccaneers — there’s still a good chance he leaves a noticeable mark on the game after seeing what Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp did to Detroit in Week 1.

While Kupp caught half of his 14 receptions out of the slot, he didn’t explode yardage-wise behind 40 yards.

Most of those catches, however, came in early-down situations and helped put L.A. in more advantageous positions. Only one of the five catches to start a series went for at least five yards. His two second-down grabs resulted in first downs.

And much like Kupp and Godwin, Dortch brings added versatility and determination his signal-caller covets.

“You can throw him a bubble, you can throw him a hitch, you can throw him a fade. G can do it all,” Murray said of his wideout. “I love the stature that he is, because he’s inspiring to not only me, but smaller receivers around the world or young kids that want to say they can’t do it because they’re 5-foot-7, 5-foot-8, whatever it is, Greg’s doing it and he’s doing it at a high level.”

Another layer to Dortch’s game

You know what else the 5-foot-7 wideout can do that adds to the potential for a Week 3 impact?

Win 1-on-1 matchups. Or as Murray put it in June, the wide receiver is “unguardable” in such situations.

And that’s just what head coach Jonathan Gannon, who has the utmost confidence in Dortch’s abilities, is calling for against this Lions’ secondary.

“They have a really good back end. (Lions passing game Coordinator/DBs coach) Deshea Townsend’s a really good football coach. … They’ve got really good players,” Gannon said.

“We’re going to have to win some 1-on-1s if we want to make some plays, which I feel really good about.”

If the combination of Carlton Davis III, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson and the rest of the Lions’ secondary aren’t careful — and don’t clean things up at practice this week — they very well could become the Dortchure chamber’s next victims on Sunday afternoon.

Follow @Tdrake4sports