Arizona Cardinals: Predicting The Starting Offense

The Arizona Cardinals are just about five and half weeks from the start of training camp

The Arizona Cardinals offensive starters won’t look terribly different in 2015 from 2014 but what it will do is look different than the way it ended in the playoffs.  The Cardinals have multiple injured players returning.  It will be a sight to see.

Quarterback Carson Palmer is returning and at 100 percent.  Running back Andre Ellington returns from his multiple injuries as well.  Bring it on!

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Here are my predictions for the starting lineup for the Cardinals:

Wide receiver #1 – Larry Fitzgerald

Left tackle – Jared Veldheer

Left guard – Mike Iupati

Center – A.Q. Shipley

Right guard – Earl Watford

Right tackle – D.J. Humphries

Tight end – Darren Fells

Wide receiver #2 – Michael Floyd

Quarterback – Carson Palmer

Running back – Andre Ellington

Tight end – Troy Niklas

Yes, Fitz will be the number one for now.  John Brown could overtake Floyd as the number two receiver in my estimation.  My gut feeling is if the Cardinals don’t deal Floyd before the start of the season his leash could be very short.

At right tackle there will be a fight between Humphires and Bobby Massie.  Massi could get the nod.  Coach Bruce Arians has publicly said he doesn’t hand a job to anyone and that includes first round draft picks.  However I don’t think the Cardinals drafted Humphries in the hopes he’d back Massie up.

With that being said, count me in with Earl Watford winning the guard job over Jonathan Cooper, at least at first.  Cooper is probably in a make or brake season (no pun intended).  Maybe even look for competition from Anthony Steen at the position.

I am not sold on the tight end spots only because I find it very plausible the Cardinals will go out and try to add a veteran presence at the position.  Fells I think retains one of the starting spots though.

At running back Ellington will be the official starter but I can see rookie David Johnson shining in the role as well.  He could get near as many touches, maybe even more, as Ellington does on certain Sunday’s.

The left side of the offensive line is practically set in stone.  However the center prediction is just a complete gut feeling on my part.  I’m not sold on Ted Larsen anywhere on the line.  The jury is still out on him with me.