There’s a contingent of players battling to show the Arizona Cardinals that they deserve a spot on the upcoming season’s roster
New players arrive at Arizona Cardinals’ training camp every year. And each and every one of them have one thing in common. They’re all looking to win a job, which essentially means that they’ll be putting someone else out of work by doing so.
Andre Ellington is fighting to remain in the desert. Unfortunately for him, he plays running back, which is one of the club’s deepest positions. He certainly needs to show well during the preseason, and has done exactly that up until this point.
Last week against the Dallas Cowboys, in the Hall of Fame game, Ellington had 32 total yards on seven touches. He impressed head coach Bruce Arians when he showed toughness and determination on a touchdown scamper in the first quarter.
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The former sixth-round pick continued his momentum Saturday night during the Cardinals’ 20-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders. Ellington tallied 51 total yards on 11 touches, looking spry and quick while doing so. He hasn’t guaranteed himself anything yet, but his exhibition-game audition is going well.
2014 second-round draft pick Troy Niklas has had a career marred by injury up until this point. After the front office handed out big money to starting tight end Jermaine Gresham this offseason, Niklas is hoping to at least win a backup role. The Notre Dame alum may have helped his cause by snagging a seven-yard touchdown toss from Drew Stanton against Oakland.
Fifth-year Cardinal Brittan Golden may have the steepest hill of all to climb. Arizona currently has 12 wide receivers in training camp, but will most likely hang on to only six of them. The former undrafted free agent out of West Texas A&M is producing like he desperately wants to be one of the six.
Golden sparked the squad with an opening-drive, 35-yard reception versus Dallas last week . He continued his success against the Raiders, leading all Cards’ wideouts with 44 yards receiving. The 29-year old was the recipient of a 12-yard touchdown dart from quarterback Carson Palmer in the first quarter.
Despite denials from within the organization, Stanton’s backup signal-caller job may be in jeopardy. He helplessly watched from the sidelines last week as newly-signed Blaine Gabbert played very well against the Cowboys. The former first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars led two impressive touchdown drives on Arizona’s first two possessions.
Stanton got his turn to impress the staff on Saturday night, and he turned in one of his best performances as a Cardinal to date. The 33-year old completed 11 of 15 passes for 112 yards and the scoring throw to Niklas. If Stanton continues to move the offense like he did on Saturday night, then he’ll have no problem retaining the job going forward.
There’s still three more “practice” games left to be played before the season opener. Plenty of time for players to leave an impression on Arians’ mind. Plenty of time to show whether or not they belong on the Cardinals’ 2017 roster.