Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart: May Edition

We are inside of May, and many Arizona Cardinals fans have thoughts towards training camp. The Super Bowl is a possibility, although I don’t want to get ahead of myself. The Cardinals came into the offseason thinking of the problematic Carolina Panthers, seeing a team of consistency. What part of the consistency makes Cardinals fans jealous? The defense that crushed MVP-runner up, Carson Palmer. They solved most of their problems this offseason.

Linebacker, Cornerback, and Center. That’s what we needed to correct, right? The linebacker problem was solved with Chandler Jones, as he was traded to the Cardinals by the New England Patriots. Although, we won’t be able to count on Dwight Freeney for this depth chart, he is still a possibility. The Cardinals also got themselves two cornerbacks in the draft, Brandon Williams of Texas A&M and Harlan Miller of Southeastern Louisiana. Center was also solved by the draft, Evan Boehm of Missouri. Let’s take a look.

Quarterback:
1. Carson Palmer
2. Drew Stanton
3. Matt Barkley

Running Back:
1. David Johnson
2. Chris Johnson
3. Andre Ellington
4. Stepfan Taylor

Wide Receiver:
1. Michael Floyd
2. John Brown
3. Larry Fitzgerald
4. J.J. Nelson
5. Jaron Brown
6. *Chris King

Tight End:
1. Darren Fells
2. Ifeanyi Momah
3. Jermaine Gresham

Left Tackle:
1. Jared Veldheer

Left Guard:
1. Mike Iupati
2. Antoine McClain

Center:
1. *Evan Boehm
2. A.Q. Shipley

Right Guard:
1. Evan Mathis
2. *Cole Toner

Right Tackle:
1. D.J. Humphries
2. Earl Watford

Left End:
1. Calais Campbell
2. Red Bryant

Nose Tackle:
1. Rodney Gunter
2. Corey Peters

Defensive Tackle:
1. *Robert Nkemdiche
2. Frostee Rucker
3. Ed Stinson
4. Josh Mauro

Weakside Linebacker:
1. Markus Golden
2. Alex Okafor

Inside Linebacker:
1. Deone Bucannon
2. Kevin Minter
3. Alani Fua

Strongside Linebacker:
1. Chandler Jones
2. Kareem Martin

Cornerback:
1. Patrick Peterson
2. *Harlan Miller
3. Justin Bethel
4. *Brandon Williams
5. *Elie Bouka

Free Safety:
1. Tyrann Mathieu
2. Tyvon Branch

Strong Safety:
1. Tony Jefferson
2. *Marqui Christian

Kicker:
1. Chandler Catanzaro

Punter:
1. Drew Butler

Long Snapper:
1. *Kameron Canaday

This is an estimated 53-Man Roster for the Arizona Cardinals that many would be very surprised by but I just don’t think that the roster will stay the same. There will likely be new signings, waiver wires pickups, and trades.

Last season, before the start of the season, Matt Barkley was signed. Many of us thought “Wow, is he the future?”. I don’t know if he can beat Jake Coker out, I just don’t know how good Coker is or can be, but if Barkley makes it out to the start of the season, Barkley could be fighting for the starting spot when Carson Palmer retires.

Another surprise was Chris King, the rookie wide receiver from Duquesne. The Arizona Cardinals have plenty of questions for the offseason of 2017, as Larry Fitzgerald could retire and Michael Floyd and Jaron Brown will need another contract. Keep a watchful eye on King, he is a sure-handed rookie receiver with a fantastic burst off the line of scrimmage. I think with some grooming, he, John Brown, and J.J. Nelson could help the process.

No Troy Niklas? That’s maddening. He is injury prone and could end up on injured reserve by season’s end.

Evan Boehm should be the starting center, supplanting A.Q. Shipley. Look for Boehm to show his consistency. This is the perfect year to groom a center with Evan Mathis at left guard. Boehm and D.J. Humphries are going to get a great teacher.

There is only one more surprise in my estimated depth chart, as Harlan Miller is the starting corner opposite Patrick Peterson. I don’t think the Justin Bethel is the answer, with the Cardinals investing into Harlan Miller in the 6th round, and Brandon Williams in the 3rd round. I think the overall game of Harlan Miller is quite excellent, as he is a great man-to-man corner.

Leave a comment below if you agree or disagree, I love to have criticism.