Arizona Cardinals: A last chance opportunity for some
By Scott Allen
The Arizona Cardinals face the Denver Broncos in the preseason finale Thursday evening
Training camp and the preseason couldn’t come to and end soon enough for the Arizona Cardinals. They have gone 0-3 in the preseason and have suffered a few concerning injuries amongst starters. However tonight is all about the backups against the Denver Broncos.
No one on the first team offense will be playing Thursday evening at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Quarterback Carson Palmer will sit, as will receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
The starting quarterback for the Cardinals will be Matt Barkley. He is expected to play all four quarters on Thursday evening. The big question is, will they be the last four quarters Barkley will spend in a Cardinals uniform?
There have been rumors that the Cardinals may keep just two quarterbacks. Given depth issues at other positions, that is a great possibility. The Cardinals have kept three quarterbacks however in the Bruce Arians era.
Can Barkley do enough to sway Arians’ decision either way? Barkley played alright the other day at Houston, going 12-18 for 162 yards. He had two touchdown passes but those went along with two interceptions.
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Barkley will be the third quarterback if the Cardinals do keep three. Jake Coker was released earlier this week. Drew Stanton will be the backup this season once again but will not play either against the Broncos.
The cornerback position will be another one to watch Thursday evening. Mike Jenkins was lost for the season on Sunday to a torn ACL. That leaves guys like Harlan Miller, Trevon Hartfield, Cariel Brooks, and Ronald Zamort fighting for likely one spot.
The linebackers also will be competing for spots. There are still 11 on the roster. Look for that to get trimmed to eight or nine at most. Donald Butler, Alani Fua, Tristan Okpalaugo, and Lamar Louis still are likely on the outside looking in.
Cardinals receivers have been a huge topic of discussion this preseason as well. Injuries to John Brown and Fitzgerald have allowed more reps for guys like Chris Hubert, Brittan Golden, and Jaxon Shipley. Of those three, the Cardinals are likely to keep no more than one. They are just too deep there.
Looking at the defensive line, we could be taking or last look at guys like Ed Stinson, Frostee Rucker, and Olsen Pierre. There are nine defensive linemen on the roster. Look for the Cardinals to trim that to likely seven by Saturday afternoon.