The Arizona Cardinals have been in training camp a solid week earlier than every other club in the league. The reason is that they are participating in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, played in conjunction with the Hall of Fame festivities.
Former Cardinal great Larry Fitzgerald is being inducted into this year’s class, so the fact that the Cardinals are included adds to his weekend.
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HACKETT OPENS UP
Training camp for the Cardinals is rolling along. This year’s edition is different than the past few seasons. There is no longer a defensive coach at the helm. Instead, former Los Angeles Rams OC Mike LaFleur is attempting to transform this offense into one similar to those of the Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and Houston Texans, who all run essentially the same offense.
Notice that each one of these teams was in the playoffs last year. That is not by coincidence.
The new offense is getting most of the attention in training camp. The defense has made some strides and has a few wrinkles to iron out as well.
Here are some notes from Wednesday’s practice:
Quarterback play
Carson Beck is killing it. He had arguably his best practice session since arriving in Tempe. He struggled a bit during OTAs earlier in the spring and has been a roller coaster on the field. But he is showing he has arm talent, which was on full display during the two-minute drills. His touch into tight windows is astounding. He tossed a touchdown pass with very little room for error. He also has command of the huddle despite being a rookie. He does have a bad habit of staring down his receivers, so he needs some tutelage with this.
Beck may not supplant Jacoby Brissett as the starting QB, but he could very well become the primary backup when this is all over. And if the Cardinals aren’t winning enough games going in November, it would surprise nobody to see Beck under center going down the stretch to get NFL game experience, and also to gauge whether the franchise is satisfied with him going forward, or will need to look into the 2027 NFL draft for better talent.
Meanwhile, Brissett looks good on the short to intermediate passes, but his long ball needs some work. He can get the ball there, but his accuracy is shamefully off target. He did lead a successful two-minute drill, but there was a contested pass interference call that continued the drive instead of turning the ball over on downs.
Gardner Minshew has good accuracy, but then will flip a pass towards a defender. He was picked off and has quite a few incompletions to boot.
There is little doubt that Kedon Slovis will become a practice squad addition after the final roster cuts on August 30. He is simply the forgotten man and is more about him not getting the reps. He is running the third-team offense presently.
Running backs/receivers/tight ends
Tyler Allgeier looks really good. In other practices, it was James Conner who took the majority of the first team reps and then stepped aside for rookie Jeremiyah Love. But on Wednesday, Allgeier took over the first team snaps and looked great. He is exceptional in all RB drills as well. Conner remains out of team drills due to injury. Love is showing a lot of moves at the line of scrimmage, and also when he has popped out into open territory.
The second team now consists of Bam Knight with a dose of Trey Benson sprinkled in. If Knight can somehow wrangle away the kickoff returner position, he conceivably could make this roster. But not as a running back due to the amount of talent and the number of backs that are in this group.
Benson has shown great burst off the snap. He had a good run that he sprang open going down the left sideline. He is also showing consistency.
Marvin Harrison could be in line for his best season yet. The offense did its first one-on-one drills with a receiver versus a defensive back, and Harrison made everybody look silly, including Denzel Burke. His moves have improved, and he looks like he has buffed up a bit this offseason. Having said this, he is still dropping passes.
Michael Wilson took a back seat to Harrison for most of the practice. But he still had plenty of catches, especially when Brissett was throwing. Those two continued to look good going back to last year.
Trey McBride isn’t going to be covered very easily, and nobody today could. Teams are going to have to designate a safety who has some height to cover him because linebackers can’t keep up.
Offensive line
An offensive line is not five individuals, but one unit with five pieces. However, since there are three new bodies in this group this year, it will take some time for the cohesiveness to become a reality.
Right now, none of this is happening. Pre-snap penalties are being dolled out like candy at Halloween. Maybe it’s the quarterback cadence, and every signalcaller yells out his instructions in different tones and intervals. Perhaps once a guy is decided upon to be the starter, this offensive line will settle down. And not just false starts, but plenty of holding flags.
Backup left tackle Josh Fryar was used on the right side for a while. He isn’t being viewed as starter material, but when attrition hits, which he does every year, perhaps he can be inserted on either side and not miss a beat. OG Jon Gaines has been getting some first-team reps, but essentially is listed along the second-team unit.
One of the odd spots where things aren’t going well is with left guard Isaac Seumalo, who was considered the big splash in free agency this year. He is struggling and has had a rough start in practices as the pads came on. Most defenders are getting by him and frequently breaking through the front. He is a seasoned veteran, so this needs to be solved quickly.
The right guard battle between Isaiah Adams and rookie Chase Bisontis is ongoing.
Defense
Cody Simon is looking really good. He already has two picks and has been in position to make tackles on running plays. Darius Robinson is getting plenty of first-team reps, but is hit-or-miss. This may be his last Cardinals training camp unless he is able to show a good pass rush. If the defense can get something good out of him this year, that would become a huge plus. Baron Browning just could take over that outside pass rusher opposite Josh Sweat. Browning has a great first step and a high motor. Whether he can take snaps away from Zaven Collins will be seen, though. For now, he has great effort.
The new linebacker, Jack Gibbens, was on the first-team defense during the two-minute drills. He has been in the right place for most run downs so far. He is known for his pass coverage, and did well in the one-on-ones with the tight ends.
Overall, along the offense, the team continued implementing schemes under the coaching staff, balancing trench work and receiver routes following their initial shift to physicality earlier in the week.
DT PJ Mustipher suffered an ankle injury the day before and was out. CB Jaden Davis ended up leaving practice as well, but walking. DT Walter Nolen looks completely healthy.
Every training camp has that one guy that really stands out that nobody predicted. Write down this name: Eku Leota. Yeah, the linebacker continues to impress each practice. In most plays in the 11-on-11 drills, he has either a sack or plenty of pressures that were almost a sack. He is going to be difficult to cut, but at this rate, he could gain a lot more defensive snaps, especially in third-down situations.
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson is working hard to secure the open safety spot. He had two picks, and if these were live games, he would have secured a sack as well. He has good speed. His competition is mainly Andrew Wingard, the veteran the team signed away from Jacksonville, who was a huge favorite of the fans.
Burke is trying to stave off Max Melton, who looks like a good starting prospect. Overall, the defensive back group is looking extremely good. Which in the NFC West, they will be tested often. Will Johnson is showing signs of becoming a true # 1 corner.
Future camp dates open to the public include Friday, July 31 at 1:45 p.m., Sunday, August 2 at 4:00 p.m., Monday, August 3 at 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, August 9 at 4:00 p.m. Saturday is a rest day.
