Roster Status Going into Camp

[RugbyMuffin]

Gathered from tidbits, rumors, notes, whispers, theories, educated guesses, and down right thumb in the wind deductions.

Here is what I think the final 53 is looking like today, pre-training camp.

Darren Urban is supposedly putting out a "depth chart" before vacation time so why not compare and contrast ?

This is my current 53: BTW - anything in brackets means 50/50 shot that the player is going to be on the final roster. Notice O'Brien Schofield is no where to be found right now.

QB:
- Carson Palmer
- Drew Stanton
- [Open]


RB:
- Rashard Mendenhall
- Ryan Williams
- Stepfan Taylor
- Andre Ellington


WR:
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Michael Floyd
- Andre Roberts
- [Jaron Brown]
- [Open]


FB/TE:
- Jeff King
- Rob Housler
- Jim Dray
- D.C. Jefferson
- [Open]


OT:
- Levi Brown
- Bobby Massie
- Nate Potter


OG/OC:
- Jonathan Cooper
- Lyle Sendlein
- Earl Watford
- [Daryn Colledge]
- [Jamaal Johnson-Webb]


DL:
- Dan Williams
- Darnell Dockett
- Calais Campbell
- David Carter
- Frostee Rucker
- [Padric Scott]


OLB:
- Sam Acho
- Lorenzo Alexander
- Matt Shaunessey
- Alex Okafor


ILB:
- Daryl Washington/Karlos Dansby
- Jasper Brinkley
- Reggie Walker
- Kevin Minter


CB:
- Patrick Peterson
- Jerraud Powers
- Antoine Cason
- Javier Arenas
- Justin Bethel


S:
- Yeremiah Bell
- Rashad Johnson
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Tony Jefferson


ST:
- Jay Feely
- Dave Zastidul
- Mike Leach


52 - [Open]
53 - [Open]

 

[GuernseyCard]

Good thoughts, but, I don't think for a moment that Colledge is on the bubble or that Schofield is not there as a designated rusher come September.

 

[Garthshort]

I think we'll add a TE, either via a trade, waiver wire or a FA. Unless someone on the roster steps up when the pads go on, which I doubt.

 

[Drop D]

This is my current 53: BTW - anything in brackets means 50/50 shot that the player is going to be on the final roster. Notice O'Brien Schofield is no where to be found right now.

QB:
- Carson Palmer
- Drew Stanton
- [Open]


WR:
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Michael Floyd
- Andre Roberts
- [Jaron Brown]
- [Open]

So are you saying there is a 50-50 chance of not having a 3rd QB? Or is there a player by the name of Open? He would be perfect as a WR, BTW.

 

[kerouac9]

O'Brien Schofield doesn't even make the team in favor of two guys who have never played OLB before? Ick.

 

[earthsci]

How many ILB do we generally carry? When Washington comes back (hopefully) is Walker going to remain? Honest question, I have no idea.

 

[iRobot]

How many ILB do we generally carry? When Washington comes back (hopefully) is Walker going to remain? Honest question, I have no idea.

I like doing things like this too but ultimately realized it's pretty hopeless to guess at this point in time.

Hard to peg how many of what position we'll carry with a regime change too.

 

[Goldfield]

It looks good to me.

I see a much much improved roster than last year.

 

[Duckjake]

It looks good to me.

I see a much much improved roster than last year.

Carson Palmer in. Kevin Kolb out. Much improved roster.

 

[Goldfield]

Carson Palmer in. Kevin Kolb out. Much improved roster.

More than that. RB improved. OL improved. LB improved. CB improved, DL improved, FS dropped, SS wash, TE same, WR same...

were better

 

[52brandon]

Good thoughts, but, I don't think for a moment that Colledge is on the bubble or that Schofield is not there as a designated rusher come September.

More than that. RB improved. OL improved. LB improved. CB improved, DL improved, FS dropped, SS wash, TE same, WR same...

were better

agreed on both. I also think Lindley rounds out the QB spot. Maybe he is a developmental QB. And now with real QB coaches, we'll get a chance to see it

 

[Duckjake]

More than that. RB improved. OL improved. LB improved. CB improved, DL improved, FS dropped, SS wash, TE same, WR same...

were better

And none of that would matter if we didn't improve the QB position. We had good players last year. Just as good or better than what we have now but the QB play negated everything they did. Lose a game where you forced 6 turnovers! Lose a game where you held your opponent to 112 yards passing in a passing league while forcing 4 turnovers! The QB play was just abysmal.

I also have to add that we're better simply because Russ Grimm is no longer the offensive line coach.

 

[Cardiac]

More than that. RB improved. OL improved. LB improved. CB improved, DL improved, FS dropped, SS wash, TE same, WR same...

were better

Agree.

And none of that would matter if we didn't improve the QB position. We had good players last year. Just as good or better than what we have now but the QB play negated everything they did. Lose a game where you forced 6 turnovers! Lose a game where you held your opponent to 112 yards passing in a passing league while forcing 4 turnovers! The QB play was just abysmal.

I agree.

I'm also glad that we did upgrade several positions (at least on paper) because all the teams in our division have improved as well and that's impressive considering the 49ers made it to the SB and the Seahawks also made the playoffs.

 

[Catfish]

Muffin-----I wonder if you have any thoughts on Swope at this early stage. Supposing he is still bothered by the concussion syndrome when TC starts, would you put him on the PUP list for the remainder of the year, and hope to see what he brings to the table next year? Say he is capable of playing, do you try to hide him on the PS for a year? Anybody have any thoughts on this?

 

[RugbyMuffin]

So are you saying there is a 50-50 chance of not having a 3rd QB? Or is there a player by the name of Open? He would be perfect as a WR, BTW.

No.

An [Open] spot, is a wide open opportunity for that spot on the roster. Meaning at this point it could be anyone.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Muffin-----I wonder if you have any thoughts on Swope at this early stage. Supposing he is still bothered by the concussion syndrome when TC starts, would you put him on the PUP list for the remainder of the year, and hope to see what he brings to the table next year? Say he is capable of playing, do you try to hide him on the PS for a year? Anybody have any thoughts on this?

Cat,

That is my belief. I think Swope will be put on the PUP list this year, and we never see him play in 2013 for the Cardinals. Not a bad thing, he was only a 6th round pick, and worth the risk, IMO.

So, that is one of the 5 receiver spots now open.

LaRon Byrd, through Urban, per Arians, has not been consistent enough in practice at this point.

So, that is another one of the 5 receiver spots now open.

So, who is ahead for the competition for those two spots ? Arians was quoted as complementing 3 UDFA's when talking to the press, and out of those three I think Jaron Brown has the best chance (Swope, Byrd, Hawkins, and Gill) to make the team.

I think Jaron Brown is our 4th WR next season, and he shows some promise, too.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

O'Brien Schofield doesn't even make the team in favor of two guys who have never played OLB before? Ick.

Seems like the odd man out to me K9.

There are two "slush" positions as I like to call them where the Cardinals may carry 5 OLBers.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

How many ILB do we generally carry? When Washington comes back (hopefully) is Walker going to remain? Honest question, I have no idea.

First off, I like iRobot's response to this question.

Now, to answer the question ? Reggie Walker has a good chance to be playing for San Diego this season or the Browns. I like Walker but when you draft Kevin Minter, and you have Daryl Washington, and Washington gets suspended and Karlos Dansby is brought in............ well, Walker is not good enough in the new coaches eyes to NOT draft an ILBer, and again Walker is not good enough in the coaches eyes to be a band aid for a 4 week suspension.

It all adds up to a ticket out of town for Walker, IMO. Good player but numbers, and the need to get a SILB makes him expendable.

I like doing things like this too but ultimately realized it's pretty hopeless to guess at this point in time.

Hard to peg how many of what position we'll carry with a regime change too.

Yeah, you kinda have to get used to being wrong, and sometimes dead wrong. Spend a couple hours putting together that may be blown into bits by a Darren Urban blog post at any moment.

Alan "--------" Branch

 

[RugbyMuffin]

I also have to add that we're better simply because Russ Grimm is no longer the offensive line coach.

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Hear hear!

 

[RugbyMuffin]

More than that. RB improved. OL improved. LB improved. CB improved, DL improved, FS dropped, SS wash, TE same, WR same...

were better

RB - Agreed. I think Stepfan Taylor will be boring, but very productive for this team. Not to mention what Mendenhal is going to bring to the table in terms of running the football.

OL - Agreed. To the point that this team can compete, but I don't see the offensive line being an asset, or "weapon" just yet.

LB - Hmm. This position in up in the air. Karlos Dansby and Sam Acho are the only two linebackers that I feel I can count on as being productive, and Dansby wasn't even on the team last year. How Washington deals with his off the field issues, and being away from the team the first month of the season will be interesting. Will there be any rust, any delay in Washington coming back to top form ? Brinkley, Alexander, and Shaunessey are all unknowns in Todd Bowles system. Minter, and Okafor are rookies, so it unknown if they can even play in the league. Finally there is O'Brien Schofield and Reggie Walker whom I don't know it they even make the team. Very much up in the air.

CB - Agreed. Powers, Peterson, and Cason will be formidable.

DL - Agreed. I think Padric Scott will be our backup NT, and Carter will go back to being a backup DE. That is a good thing.

FS, SS - Agreed this is a drop in talent. Mathieu, Johnson, and Bell is a shakey situation, and Tony Jefferson is an UDFA who is no lock for that position, but I don't know who is "better on paper" then Jefferson right now.

TE - This is a slow decline, IMO. This team is counting on Jeff King with his bad knee. Housler, Sperry, and Dray are nothing to write home about in concerns to blocking, and DC Jefferson is EXTREMELY raw, and not a good blocker either. For as much as will be asked for from the tight end group, this current stable of players has me nervous.

WR - The wide receivers are already better than last year. Addition by subtraction with Early Dropsit finally off the roster. I think between LaRon Byrd, Ryan Swope (if he plays), Jaron Brown, Robert Gil, and ?.Hawkins the Cardinals will find better 4th, and 5th receiver then we had last year.

 

[Catfish]

Cat,

That is my belief. I think Swope will be put on the PUP list this year, and we never see him play in 2013 for the Cardinals. Not a bad thing, he was only a 6th round pick, and worth the risk, IMO.

So, that is one of the 5 receiver spots now open.

LaRon Byrd, through Urban, per Arians, has not been consistent enough in practice at this point.

So, that is another one of the 5 receiver spots now open.

So, who is ahead for the competition for those two spots ? Arians was quoted as complementing 3 UDFA's when talking to the press, and out of those three I think Jaron Brown has the best chance (Swope, Byrd, Hawkins, and Gill) to make the team.

I think Jaron Brown is our 4th WR next season, and he shows some promise, too.

I like Swope to the PUP too. He is valuable as a prospect with his speed, if he can get the cobwebs out of his head. Like you, I think a 6th rounder with his potential is an easy pick to sit out for the year, and be like another draft pick next year.

I like Jaron Brown to be our 4th wideout too. Bird has squandered too much time in my opinion, not really applying himself to the task at hand. I believe Arians sees the same thing, and between the two, if he takes a chance, it will be with Brown.

I like the rookie, (Padric), becoming back-up NT as well, with Carter backing up CC and DD. I am really liking the way this DL is shaping up. This should be fun to watch this year, as I see potential for disruption up front from our DL. With some decent Line Backers to chase side to side and plug holes, this D may yet shine. We'll just get most of our push from the front instead of the edge. That's OK with me. Maybe next off-season will produce that elusive edge rusher that we have been craving.

I really like Peterson and Powers at the corners with Cason covering the slot in the nickel. With Mathieu playing center field in the dime and Johnson and Bell at FREE and STRONG, we should be decent at safety when the heavy hitters try to fill the secondary with receivers. I believe that across the board, our cover depth is as good as anyone in the league. With Dansby at WILB, I can see us being able to cover 6 receivers at one time. That should be fun to watch too. Peterson, Cason, Dansby and Mathieu can be very disruptive, and Johnson and Bell are decent, albeit not great. I am getting really excited to see these guys in pads, doing what they do. Getting to work against our receiving corps in practice every day is not going to hurt them either, and vice/versa.

 

[Duckjake]

More than that. RB improved. OL improved. LB improved. CB improved, DL improved, FS dropped, SS wash, TE same, WR same...

were better

RB: is Mendenhall any better than Wells? Debatable. He sure didn't do much last season and Chris had better numbers in 2011 playing for a team that thought it was against the rules to run the football.

OL: who knows? Cooper is a rookie and an unknown plus we have Colledge moving to the right side which is also an unknown. But Grimm is gone so I'll give you that for now.

WR: same guys

TE: same guys

Which gets us back to the only major improvement being Palmer at QB.

LB: I don't see Brinkley as any better than Lenon although if they are even in talent it is a slight improvement because Brinkley is younger

CB: I can't say because I don't know enough about Powers but I will give you that if Cason starts because that gives us two tall Corners.

DL: how can it be improved when its the same as last year?

It's ok though. It's the off season when the Kool Aid flows in torrents.

 

[52brandon]

Agree.



I agree.

I'm also glad that we did upgrade several positions (at least on paper) because all the teams in our division have improved as well and that's impressive considering the 49ers made it to the SB and the Seahawks also made the playoffs.

then they got better... they're gonna be scary

 

[Catfish]

then they got better... they're gonna be scary

That is so very, very true. Both teams got better. I also believe that St. Louis got better. We may have made the biggest jump, however, due to the fact that we got so much better at QB than we were. I think it is reasonable to say we have the best QB in the NFC West right now. In this day and age, it seems that your team goes as it's QB goes. I believe we will show the most improvement at QB.

I have nothing to base this on, (other than my own observations), but I also believe that both our defensive and offensive lines will be improved. I say the DL will be improved because BA has schemed to play to the DL's strengths, whereas last year, DD was used merely as a body occupier. Being disruptive is going to make some people set up and take notice of our DL. Meanwhile our OL should be improved for several reasons. Levi is back, and Cooper is a phenom, (though still new). Massie and Potter look to take advantage of their extensive playing time last year, and should both be improved. Colledge should be less of a weakness at RG than he was at LG. We should get additional help from Watford later into the season. By the end of TC there should be more cohesiveness to this unit than there was all last year. Getting pass-blocking help from RB's Mendenhall, Taylor, and Ellington should also help. I don't anticipate much help from the TE Position.

 

[Goldfield]

RB: is Mendenhall any better than Wells? Debatable. He sure didn't do much last season and Chris had better numbers in 2011 playing for a team that thought it was against the rules to run the football.

OL: who knows? Cooper is a rookie and an unknown plus we have Colledge moving to the right side which is also an unknown. But Grimm is gone so I'll give you that for now.

WR: same guys

TE: same guys

Which gets us back to the only major improvement being Palmer at QB.

LB: I don't see Brinkley as any better than Lenon although if they are even in talent it is a slight improvement because Brinkley is younger

CB: I can't say because I don't know enough about Powers but I will give you that if Cason starts because that gives us two tall Corners.

DL: how can it be improved when its the same as last year?

It's ok though. It's the off season when the Kool Aid flows in torrents.

Wells just isn't very good. We added Mendenhall and two solid backs in the draft.

Rookie or not he will be better than Snyder was. Massie and Potter second year players, and Brown returning all upgrades.

Brinkley, Dansby, Rookies Okafor, Minter, and the one from the matt shaughnessy.

Dockett and Campbell are now allowed to play to their strengths. We added Frosty Rucker who is solid.

Not to mention Palmer and Stanton over Kolb and Skelton.....