There is perhaps no cliché more ingrained to training camp than the notion that every spot is up for grabs. It’s all a competition, coaches say, especially in the early days, before the calendar turns to August.
Except, of course, that’s not true. Trey McBride is the Cardinals’ starting tight end. Paris Johnson Jr. is the left tackle. Josh Sweat is the top edge rusher and Budda Baker is the fulcrum of the secondary at safety.
So, which spots are actually open in training camp? Which position battles demand closer analysis over the next three weeks? Here’s a look at the top five.
Running back: Jeremiyah Love vs. Tyler Allgeier
If you were wagering today on the identity of the Cardinals’ first ball carrier in Week 1, Love would remain the clear favorite. Ditto for their leader in rush attempts
over the course of the season.
The Cardinals took him with the No. 3 overall pick for a reason. He is close to a complete package at the position, and has shown his explosiveness early in training camp.
And yet, Allgeier has taken the first reps with the first-team offense, and seen more of those reps early in training camp. And when asked who his starter is at the position, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett declined to provide an answer.
“Right now, we're trying to work on that operation,” Hackett said. “We're trying to make sure we're crisp, we're clean and we've got a great play style.”
Later, Hackett was asked about Love’s progression.
“He's definitely a rookie,” Hackett said. “And he'll keep growing every single day. Very excited for him.”
In other words, Love is still acclimating to the NFL level. That makes this running back picture murkier than it appears.
Right guard: Isaiah Adams vs. Chase Bisontis
In many ways, the story is similar at right guard, as a highly-touted rookie aims to unseat a veteran.
As the Week 1 starter last season, Adams — a 2024 third-round pick — struggled. In his first seven games, he allowed pressure at a concerning 5.8% clip. He had lapses with both communication and technique in the run game. And by week 6, he was benched for Will Hernandez, requiring the better part of two months to reclaim his starting spot.
But over the final six weeks of the season, Adams’ pressure rate allowed dropped to 2.7%, while he grew more dependable in the run game. In a lost season, his development was a December silver lining.
That growth has helped Adams earn first-team reps early in camp, despite his July arrest on gun charges. Whether he remains in that role could depend on the speed of Bisontis’ acclimation to the NFL.
Cornerback: Denzel Burke vs. Max Melton vs. Starling Thomas V
This may be the trickiest starting spot to project on the entire roster.
Burke, despite his fifth-round draft capital, was the Cardinals’ most reliable cornerback for large swaths of last season, allowing just an 81.6 passer rating when targeted. By that metric, no other cornerback on the roster was as productive — not even Will Johnson. And on the first fully open day of training camp, Burke took the first snaps opposite Johnson.
But he is far from the only candidate for that role.
Thomas impressed in 2024, before missing all of last season with a torn ACL. “He's right in (that mix),” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said. “He's looked really good.”
And Melton has drawn effusive praise from Rallis all offseason for his growth after being benched last November. It’s the type of praise that feels different — like it means something, even beyond the typical training camp hype.
“(During) the offseason program, certain things that he needed to improve on, you saw him make some huge strides,” Rallis said. “I think he's continuing to just develop his knowledge of the game and have some accelerated thinking based on what the offense is presenting before the snap.”
Safety: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson vs. Andrew Wingard
At the outset of the offseason, it seemed as if Taylor-Demerson was set to take over for Jalen Thompson, neatly slotting into the Cardinals’ second starting safety spot, alongside Budda Baker.
The reality hasn’t been so straightforward. The Cardinals signed Wingard to a one-year, $3 million deal in free agency and have since rotated both players in the defensive backfield.
Because of Rallis’ use of three-safety looks, both will see the field, as they have early in training camp. But at this point, there’s no clear leader for a starting spot.
Wide receiver: Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Michael Wilson
This is, of course, a different type of competition. Harrison and Wilson are both starters, and both will play nearly every offensive snap. They are not competing for playing time, like with the other players on this list.
But they are competing for targets. In an offense that wants to become more run-heavy — and with a superstar tight end — there are only so many opportunities to go around for the wide receivers. To have a statistically productive season, Harrison and Wilson will need to establish themselves as the first read more often than not.
Much of that may have been determined in advance, as Mike LaFleur constructed his offense this spring. But the wide receivers’ performance in training camp can still influence how the offense operates from down to down.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals' top 5 position battles to watch in training camp
