The depth of the Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver room has stood out through two preseason games, which is also a testament to Mike LaFleur's new offense. But that also now presents LaFleur and the Cardinals with the challenge of deciding which of these receivers won't make the final 53-man roster.
They seemingly have three already set at the position between Michael Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., and WR3 Kendrick Bourne. Devin Duvernay also has to be in strong consideration for a spot given his contributions on special teams as a returner.
A deserving receiver inevitably isn't going to make Week 1, as the opportunity cost of keeping so many at the position would be missing out on depth actually needed elsewhere.
Assuming Bourne and Duvernay ultimately join Wilson and MHJ to put the Cardinals at four receivers, that would leave Reggie Virgil, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Simi Fehoko, and Jalen Brooks as the top remaining options.
It's difficult to leave out Fehoko, as we've seen the Cardinals utilize that 6-foot-4 frame as a red-zone threat, resulting in a touchdown grab against the Raiders. That said, our picks as of now would be fifth-round rookie Virgil and early preseason standout Brooks.
Jalen Brooks is making a compelling case to survive Cardinals' cuts
While it remains to be seen what the Cardinals wind up doing at the stacked position, one thing is certain: Brooks is making it harder to cut him by the day.
Brooks' stock is trending upwards at a crucial time, thanks to consecutive preseason games as the leading receiver. Again, this is also credit to LaFleur, but the Cardinals have totaled 57 points over the first two preseason games. Every quarterback has done a great job of coming in and keeping the offense afloat.
You could tell Brooks had a connection established with third-round rookie Carson Beck in the Hall of Fame Game, which raised the question of whether he would be able to build off that performance with Beck sitting out against the Raiders due to a minor rib injury. Instead, Brooks picked up right where he left off, finishing with six receptions for 52 yards and one touchdown.
Perhaps most impressive about Brooks is his ability to absorb the contact, standing in and taking the hit while maintaining control of the ball. That's an incredibly underrated aspect of receiving, especially with how hard these players get hit at this level.
How could Arizona not want to have that combination of fearlessness and production in its receiving room going forward?
Add us as a preferred source on Google