RugbyMuffin
ASFN IDOL
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2003
- Posts
- 30,485
- Reaction score
- 4,877
Just a few positions on the roster that I think are going to be determined in camp. There is not many that I see, which will effect the top 25 players/positions.
FYI - Anything Bruce Arians has said about any player at this point is pure camp B.S.
QB:
None. Its going to be Palmer, Stanton, and Gabbert. Knight may make the P.S.
RB:
This should actually be some what fun to watch and debate during the preseason.
2nd, 3rd, and 4th string running backs are going to be competing. Kerwynn Williams is penciled in as the backup, but he is never been a lock in the past, so thinking he is one now is a stretch.
I would not rule out a veteran coming into camp either.
That being said, I do not see a sure fire lock for the roster, or sure fire camp body.
- Kerwynn Williams
- TJ Logan
- Andre Ellington
- Elijhaa Penny
- James Summers
WR:
It would be a stretch to call this a "battle".
This will be a case of "Who is better than Brittan Golden" because Larry Fitzerald, John Brown, Jaron Brown, JJ Nelson, and Chad Williams are all a lock for the roster. Leaving a 6th receiver spot open and that guy has to be a better receiver and special teams player than Brittan Golden. This is more or less a practice squad battle, and even then, there are more bodies than roster spots.
TE:
This is a position that may actually have a battle where starters are going to be determined. Jermaine Gresham is the top TE on the team, and I am personally surprise with how Gresham has become a part of this team.
This is the top position where I think a veteran or camp cut or something may happen to bring a player on board if things happen as they normally do, i.e. Troy Niklas gets hurt is an out for yet another season.
The Cardinals want to carry 4 tight ends optimally.
Troy Niklas is literally being given the 2nd spot in the roster, all he has to do is stay healthy. Ifeanyi Momah, Hakeem Valles, Steven Wroblewski, and Ricky Seals-Jones are left once you get past the risk that is relying on Niklas.
Some personal advise when watching some of the preseason games ? When it gets boring and the "2nd and 3rd teams com in" do not watch the ball, watch the offensive line and see which TE can seal the corner. With David Johnson on this team, blocking is very important. A good block for Johnson can get 20 yards, same as a decent catch from a tight end in Arians' system.
Offensive Line:
I am not "worried" about this offensive line. I am more interested on how it will shake out. Dare I say this is the best offensive line group I have seen with the Cardinals in recent memory?
The Cardinals invest a lot of time, money, and roster spots to the offensive line. Having nine offensive linemen is not out of the question.
OT: DJ Humphries, Jared Veldheer
OG: Mike Iupati
OC: A.Q. Shipley
As we all know Evan Boehm is penciled in at right guard, and he is a lock to make the roster. This gives us four spots on the roster. I personally think John Wetzel has earned a spot on this team, he is a versatile veteran that can get the job done. This leaves you with three spots, and Will Holden, Dorian Johnson, and Cole Toner are all players the Cardinals drafted and have invested time in.
I look at it this way. Evan Boehm has to hold off John Wetzel, Dorian Johnson, and Cole Toner for the starting guard position.
From there, Will Holden, Dorian Johnson, and Cole Toner has to hold off the rest of the group from taking their roster spot, with Cole Toner having the most heat on him. Players like John Ulrick, & Givens Price have a shot, and you never know who shows up and surprises, but while nothing is in stone, there is definitely a penciled in nine of: Veldheer, Humphries, Iupati, Shipley, Boehm, Wetzel, Johnson, Holden, Toner. Which is a solid, and versatile group in my opinion.
Defensive Line:
This is the biggest "on paper" position. The proof is in the history of the Cardinals over the last few seasons, the Cardinals will use roster spots, and invest into defensive linemen, which mirrors the offensive line priorities, and shows the Cardinals make talent on the line of scrimmage a priority.
On paper the Cardinals are putting down, Corey Peters, Josh Mauro, and Robert Nkimdiche. With the main rotation of players behind them being, Rodney Gunter, Frostee Rucker, and Olsen Pierre.
The Cardinals have been known to have up to 9 defensive linemen on their roster going into the season, but as it stands now they only have 8 linemen for camp, with the other two being Ed Stinson, and rookie Pasoni Tasini.
Thus while there is not a huge battle to make the roster, there is going to be a big competition for who the main starters will be on defense. Keep in mind, Chandler Jones is slid inside on some nickel packages so he is a quasi-defensive lineman.
Outside Linebackers (Pass Rush):
Chandler Jones, Marcus Golden, and Jarvis Jones. These are going to be the three main outside linebackers.
I would not be surprise to see Alani Fua, kept as a ILB/OLB depth guy. Kareem Martin always seems to make the roster because of special teams play, and his athleticism, but this is year four for Martin I have not seen anything from him that proves he is NFL material.
I would not be surprised to see the Cardinals have three outside linebackers on the starting roster, and then stash a few on the practice squad for depth.
If there is an injury to either Jones, or Golden, I would not be surprised to see a pass rushing specialist that is long in the tooth be signed.
Not much of a camp battle here for the outside linebacker position as there is for a special teams player that could play OLBer in an emergency.
Inside Linebacker:
It is about time for this position to have some actual competition. Karlos Dansby, even at his age, will replace Kevin Minter and be an improvement.
Deone Bucanon is, yet again, injured. I still do not like him at linebacker, but that is his position. There is no secret I think Bucanon is more hype than production. Yet, if he can stay healthy, there is no doubt that the speed of Bucanon and Reddick is one of the top duo's in the league, again, speed wise.
That being said, you need to be able to assess the situation, and react to play linebacker. Bucanon and Reddick are great athletes, but it is how good they are as football players that matters.
Dansby, Reddick, Bucannon, and that leaves one roster spot open, maybe another mattering on what the Cardinals do at outside linebacker, and how good a player is at special teams. Alani Fua, and Scooby Wright have made players on special teams for the Cardinals, so they both have inside tracks. The question is if Gabe Martin, or Zavier Gooden can push either one for a spot.
Cornerback:
There is Patrick Peterson and the rest.
- Justin Bethel
- Brandon Williams
- Elie Bouka
- Rudy Ford
- Sojourn Shelton
- Jumal Rolle
- Ryan Lewis
There is your cornerback battle. Justin Bethel seems to have the inside track for starting across from Patrick Peterson, and Rudy Ford seems to have the inside track on making a roster spot. Bouka has some good hype around him, but he will need to hold off Ford, and the rest listed for his spot.
There is no doubt this is the weakest position on the team, and that is the cornerback spot across from Peterson. I would say there is less talent at the tight end position but that is no where near as important as the cornerback that has to play on the outside in this defense.
The ONLY way I see the Cardinals bringing in another cornerback is through a trade, and unless there is massive problems at the position in camp, I would not hold my breath on said trade happening.
Note to ASFN moderators, maybe we just put a sticky thread for the cornerback camp competition at the top of the board, because this will be the main topic throughout camp.
Safety:
The only battle I see for this position is how many safeties do the Cardinals keep on the roster. The following are a lock.
- Antoine Bethea
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Budda Baker
If the Cardinals keep 5 safeties, Harlan Miller, and Tyvon Branch will make the roster, if the Cardinals only keep 4 safeties then Miller vs. Branch will be a battle to watch. The biggest challenge is if Branch can stay healthy. IMO, if Branch gets hurt in camp he will be cut, and Miller will become a lock at the position.
This is a position where the Cardinals are taking a bit of a risk this year. Branch cannot stay healthy, and the Honey Badger/The Savage/Tyrann Mathieu/or as I call him the hype machine, is also injury prone, and worse, if he is injured in any way his play declines to one of a depth player. Mathieu is great for a sound bite, and has a great back story, but this is football and we need players how can produce. This year is huge for Mathieu and his place with the Cardinals. Yet, if Branch and Mathieu go down, this team is left with Bethea, Baker, and Miller.
Special Teams:
There is the battle of the punters that will have to be determined.
But, the real competition is which depth players get a roster spot because of their special teams. Our special teams where HORRIFIC last year. To be conservative, you can say it cost this team 4 games, but in reality it was probably more than that.
Players like Chad Williams, Rudy Ford, Scooby Wright, Alani Fua, Dorian Johnson, Will Holden, Kareem Martin, Ifeanyi Momah, and some other players, can lock themselves into a roster spot just by making a difference on special teams.
I cannot wait for camp next week! Let's get ready for football!
FYI - Anything Bruce Arians has said about any player at this point is pure camp B.S.
QB:
None. Its going to be Palmer, Stanton, and Gabbert. Knight may make the P.S.
RB:
This should actually be some what fun to watch and debate during the preseason.
2nd, 3rd, and 4th string running backs are going to be competing. Kerwynn Williams is penciled in as the backup, but he is never been a lock in the past, so thinking he is one now is a stretch.
I would not rule out a veteran coming into camp either.
That being said, I do not see a sure fire lock for the roster, or sure fire camp body.
- Kerwynn Williams
- TJ Logan
- Andre Ellington
- Elijhaa Penny
- James Summers
WR:
It would be a stretch to call this a "battle".
This will be a case of "Who is better than Brittan Golden" because Larry Fitzerald, John Brown, Jaron Brown, JJ Nelson, and Chad Williams are all a lock for the roster. Leaving a 6th receiver spot open and that guy has to be a better receiver and special teams player than Brittan Golden. This is more or less a practice squad battle, and even then, there are more bodies than roster spots.
TE:
This is a position that may actually have a battle where starters are going to be determined. Jermaine Gresham is the top TE on the team, and I am personally surprise with how Gresham has become a part of this team.
This is the top position where I think a veteran or camp cut or something may happen to bring a player on board if things happen as they normally do, i.e. Troy Niklas gets hurt is an out for yet another season.
The Cardinals want to carry 4 tight ends optimally.
Troy Niklas is literally being given the 2nd spot in the roster, all he has to do is stay healthy. Ifeanyi Momah, Hakeem Valles, Steven Wroblewski, and Ricky Seals-Jones are left once you get past the risk that is relying on Niklas.
Some personal advise when watching some of the preseason games ? When it gets boring and the "2nd and 3rd teams com in" do not watch the ball, watch the offensive line and see which TE can seal the corner. With David Johnson on this team, blocking is very important. A good block for Johnson can get 20 yards, same as a decent catch from a tight end in Arians' system.
Offensive Line:
I am not "worried" about this offensive line. I am more interested on how it will shake out. Dare I say this is the best offensive line group I have seen with the Cardinals in recent memory?
The Cardinals invest a lot of time, money, and roster spots to the offensive line. Having nine offensive linemen is not out of the question.
OT: DJ Humphries, Jared Veldheer
OG: Mike Iupati
OC: A.Q. Shipley
As we all know Evan Boehm is penciled in at right guard, and he is a lock to make the roster. This gives us four spots on the roster. I personally think John Wetzel has earned a spot on this team, he is a versatile veteran that can get the job done. This leaves you with three spots, and Will Holden, Dorian Johnson, and Cole Toner are all players the Cardinals drafted and have invested time in.
I look at it this way. Evan Boehm has to hold off John Wetzel, Dorian Johnson, and Cole Toner for the starting guard position.
From there, Will Holden, Dorian Johnson, and Cole Toner has to hold off the rest of the group from taking their roster spot, with Cole Toner having the most heat on him. Players like John Ulrick, & Givens Price have a shot, and you never know who shows up and surprises, but while nothing is in stone, there is definitely a penciled in nine of: Veldheer, Humphries, Iupati, Shipley, Boehm, Wetzel, Johnson, Holden, Toner. Which is a solid, and versatile group in my opinion.
Defensive Line:
This is the biggest "on paper" position. The proof is in the history of the Cardinals over the last few seasons, the Cardinals will use roster spots, and invest into defensive linemen, which mirrors the offensive line priorities, and shows the Cardinals make talent on the line of scrimmage a priority.
On paper the Cardinals are putting down, Corey Peters, Josh Mauro, and Robert Nkimdiche. With the main rotation of players behind them being, Rodney Gunter, Frostee Rucker, and Olsen Pierre.
The Cardinals have been known to have up to 9 defensive linemen on their roster going into the season, but as it stands now they only have 8 linemen for camp, with the other two being Ed Stinson, and rookie Pasoni Tasini.
Thus while there is not a huge battle to make the roster, there is going to be a big competition for who the main starters will be on defense. Keep in mind, Chandler Jones is slid inside on some nickel packages so he is a quasi-defensive lineman.
Outside Linebackers (Pass Rush):
Chandler Jones, Marcus Golden, and Jarvis Jones. These are going to be the three main outside linebackers.
I would not be surprise to see Alani Fua, kept as a ILB/OLB depth guy. Kareem Martin always seems to make the roster because of special teams play, and his athleticism, but this is year four for Martin I have not seen anything from him that proves he is NFL material.
I would not be surprised to see the Cardinals have three outside linebackers on the starting roster, and then stash a few on the practice squad for depth.
If there is an injury to either Jones, or Golden, I would not be surprised to see a pass rushing specialist that is long in the tooth be signed.
Not much of a camp battle here for the outside linebacker position as there is for a special teams player that could play OLBer in an emergency.
Inside Linebacker:
It is about time for this position to have some actual competition. Karlos Dansby, even at his age, will replace Kevin Minter and be an improvement.
Deone Bucanon is, yet again, injured. I still do not like him at linebacker, but that is his position. There is no secret I think Bucanon is more hype than production. Yet, if he can stay healthy, there is no doubt that the speed of Bucanon and Reddick is one of the top duo's in the league, again, speed wise.
That being said, you need to be able to assess the situation, and react to play linebacker. Bucanon and Reddick are great athletes, but it is how good they are as football players that matters.
Dansby, Reddick, Bucannon, and that leaves one roster spot open, maybe another mattering on what the Cardinals do at outside linebacker, and how good a player is at special teams. Alani Fua, and Scooby Wright have made players on special teams for the Cardinals, so they both have inside tracks. The question is if Gabe Martin, or Zavier Gooden can push either one for a spot.
Cornerback:
There is Patrick Peterson and the rest.
- Justin Bethel
- Brandon Williams
- Elie Bouka
- Rudy Ford
- Sojourn Shelton
- Jumal Rolle
- Ryan Lewis
There is your cornerback battle. Justin Bethel seems to have the inside track for starting across from Patrick Peterson, and Rudy Ford seems to have the inside track on making a roster spot. Bouka has some good hype around him, but he will need to hold off Ford, and the rest listed for his spot.
There is no doubt this is the weakest position on the team, and that is the cornerback spot across from Peterson. I would say there is less talent at the tight end position but that is no where near as important as the cornerback that has to play on the outside in this defense.
The ONLY way I see the Cardinals bringing in another cornerback is through a trade, and unless there is massive problems at the position in camp, I would not hold my breath on said trade happening.
Note to ASFN moderators, maybe we just put a sticky thread for the cornerback camp competition at the top of the board, because this will be the main topic throughout camp.
Safety:
The only battle I see for this position is how many safeties do the Cardinals keep on the roster. The following are a lock.
- Antoine Bethea
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Budda Baker
If the Cardinals keep 5 safeties, Harlan Miller, and Tyvon Branch will make the roster, if the Cardinals only keep 4 safeties then Miller vs. Branch will be a battle to watch. The biggest challenge is if Branch can stay healthy. IMO, if Branch gets hurt in camp he will be cut, and Miller will become a lock at the position.
This is a position where the Cardinals are taking a bit of a risk this year. Branch cannot stay healthy, and the Honey Badger/The Savage/Tyrann Mathieu/or as I call him the hype machine, is also injury prone, and worse, if he is injured in any way his play declines to one of a depth player. Mathieu is great for a sound bite, and has a great back story, but this is football and we need players how can produce. This year is huge for Mathieu and his place with the Cardinals. Yet, if Branch and Mathieu go down, this team is left with Bethea, Baker, and Miller.
Special Teams:
There is the battle of the punters that will have to be determined.
But, the real competition is which depth players get a roster spot because of their special teams. Our special teams where HORRIFIC last year. To be conservative, you can say it cost this team 4 games, but in reality it was probably more than that.
Players like Chad Williams, Rudy Ford, Scooby Wright, Alani Fua, Dorian Johnson, Will Holden, Kareem Martin, Ifeanyi Momah, and some other players, can lock themselves into a roster spot just by making a difference on special teams.
I cannot wait for camp next week! Let's get ready for football!
Last edited:
