The Arizona Cardinals host the Oakland Raiders on Friday night
The preseason is here. The Arizona Cardinals will begin their preseason schedule on Friday night in Glendale at University of Phoenix Stadium.
It is the first game, so don’t expect much playing time from the starters. Game one is not about the starters. Cardinals Coach Bruce Arians said Friday will be more about roster spots 30-53.
That being said, the Cardinals have officially ruled out two players on Friday night. Receiver John Brown will not play. He has been out all week recovering from a concussion. He also missed the Red-White Scrimmage last Saturday due to concussion protocol.
First-round draft pick defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche also has been ruled out. An ankle injury has kept Nkemdiche out of practice. He suffered the injury the first week of camp.
Neither one of the players would have seen much playing time anyways. At receiver you are likely going to see a lot of guys like Jaron Brown, Brittan Golden, Chris Hubert, and Jaxon Shipley.
More from Raising Zona
- Arizona Cardinals: Could Eric Bieniemy come to the desert?
- Would Jonathan Gannon be a good fit for the Arizona Cardinals?
- Arizona Cardinals: Budda Baker right in his take regarding the next coach
- Arizona Cardinals: 3 reasons new coach should want to work with Murray
- Arizona Cardinals special teams could be completely revamped in 2023
Defensive tackles like Josh Mauro and Olsen Pierre should get good playing time. At quarterback the Cardinals are going to show a lot of Matt Barkley, some Drew Stanton, and the fourth quarter will belong to Jake Coker.
Of course, you may not see Brown and Nkemdiche next week against the San Diego Chargers either. There should be no rush to bring either back quickly. Game three is more meant for the starters. That game will take place in Houston against the Houston Texans two weeks from Sunday.
Also pay attention to the long-snapper and punting positions during this preseason. They are both up for grabs. They aren’t the most exciting positions yet you can be sure they will be giving it their all. They are two positions that normally are not hotly contested for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals have about 15 other guys with various injuries but all are listed as probable. If it was the regular season, they’d play but some may sit out despite not being officially ruled out of the game. As a result, the fans will see a lot of guys Friday night that probably will not make the final 53-man roster.