The Arizona Cardinals’ most important preseason game is in the rearview mirror, as head coach Mike LaFleur announced that the top starters will not play on Saturday, Aug. 22 against the Dallas Cowboys. Those players will next see live action against an opponent when the Cardinals travel to Green Bay for next week’s joint practice.
In their stead, the Cardinals will turn to a mix of starters and backups.
“It's not like 22 guys are gonna be sitting out,” LaFleur said. “There's gonna be guys that are gonna be out there on Day 1, that are gonna be starters, that will be playing in this game.”
Without those key players, here are three questions to watch.
Who actually plays?
With LaFleur saying that his most important players will not play against the Cowboys, the biggest
thing to watch is who sits out.
Take last week, for example. The Cardinals only rested two healthy players: Trey McBride and Budda Baker. It was easy, therefore, to infer that McBride and Baker are viewed as the central figures on their respective sides of the ball.
This week, that will extend further down the roster. Here are some players whose participation is worth tracking:
- Cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Max Melton: If either gets rested while the other plays (Burke is more likely to sit out), it means they’ve all but earned the starting job opposite Will Johnson.
- Right tackle Elijah Wilkinson: LaFleur suggested that his starting offensive line would likely rest. If that includes Wilkinson, it means he’s viewed akin to the other four, as an entrenched starter. If it doesn’t, it opens the door for competition at right tackle early in the season, should Josh Fryar or Jayden Williams impress in practice.
- Linebackers Cody Simon and Jack Gibbens: Similar to cornerback, if either of these players is rested, they’re likely the Week 1 starter. Simon started for most of training camp, but Gibbens got the nod last week in Las Vegas.
- Defensive tackle Walter Nolen: Nolen may seem like an odd name to include, given he is perhaps the Cardinals’ most important defensive player. But last week, he played one series more than the rest of the starters, and LaFleur seemed to suggest that he wants more from the young star. If he plays while the rest of the starters rest, it’ll raise significant eyebrows.
Can high draft picks stake claim to roster spots?
With the 41st pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort selected edge rusher B.J. Ojulari. A year later, he took running back Trey Benson at pick 66 and cornerback Elijah Jones at pick 90.
Now, entering Ossenfort’s fourth season at the helm, all three players could be released when the Cardinals trim their roster to 53 players on Aug. 30.
Benson seemingly won’t have a chance to make an impression against the Cowboys, as he continues to recover from a “flare-up” in his surgically repaired meniscus — an injury that was initially only supposed to keep him out two months and has instead pushed toward the 11-month mark. At this point, it seems like he may be a roster casualty, unless he begins the season on injured reserve.
But both Ojulari and Jones will need to make an impression, and fast. Ojulari has mostly been invisible in two preseason games. He’s still presumably the most likely of the three to make the roster — given the Cardinals’ lack of alternatives at edge rusher — but a strong performance would go a long way. Jones, meanwhile, has had some nice moments, but the math isn’t in his favor in a deep cornerbacks room. He needs to give the Cardinals a reason to keep seven cornerbacks.
What does the wide receiver room look like?
There are three certainties at wide receiver — Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne.
As for the rest of the roster, Devin Duvernay seems to have the inside track as the Cardinals’ top returner, while Reggie Virgil was an early fifth-round pick and Jalen Brooks has been the star of preseason. Right now, that trio looks like the favorites for the final three roster spots at wide receiver — if the Cardinals ultimately keep six.
But that’s not a guarantee. Simi Fehoko has also had an excellent preseason, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette offers an alternative to Duvernay in the return game. Either of them could make the roster if they impress over these final two preseason games.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Which Arizona Cardinals will play vs Dallas Cowboys in preseason game?
