The Arizona Cardinals must trim their roster to 53 by Sunday. They recently traded running back Corey Kiner to the New England Patriots, addressing a crowded running back room. With additional moves on the horizon, another logjam Arizona must soon resolve is its talented and deep group of wide receivers.
Jalen Brooks is one preseason standout who has made a strong case to survive Sunday.
Through four preseason games, Brooks caught 15-of-17 targets for a total of 222 receiving yards and one touchdown. He was a reliable weapon, showing an ability to develop chemistry with multiple quarterbacks.
With a 6-foot-2 frame, Brooks has a good blend of size, hands, and route running that was on full display in those four games. Though it was a small sample size, there wasn't much, if any, that Brooks could've done to strengthen his case.
Jalen Brooks' preseason proves he belongs on Cardinals' 53-man roster
Brooks is proving he belongs on Arizona's final 53-man roster, though it raises the question of how many wide receivers in total they want to carry into the season.
Kendrick Bourne has emerged as the WR3 to play alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson.
Devin Duvernay could easily make it four based on his special teams role.
Fifth-round rookie Reggie Virgil has impressed to the point where it would be foolish for a rebuilding Cardinals team not to invest in him.
There's also Simi Fehoko, who has been a lethal red-zone threat, pushing Brooks as one of their best receivers this preseason.
It's a difficult decision because the Cardinals are stacked at a position that isn't quite as valuable. Diminishing returns need to be considered in these final roster decisions. A seventh or eighth receiver may have played well in preseason but will have a hard time seeing the field, whereas Arizona might need more help rotating bodies on the defensive line, for instance.
The same can be said for their running back logjam. Trey Benson rejoined Arizona on IR after being waived; James Conner could be a trade candidate as the season progresses. We just saw Kiner get traded for a future draft pick instead of being cut.
Now Arizona needs to shift its focus to narrowing down its wide receiver room.
Deciding how many to keep and who to cut from this group is a decision above our pay grade. That said, any Cardinals fan who watched this team throughout preseason knows how important Brooks was to that explosive offense. He looked like a great fit for Mike LaFleur's scheme, and it would be in Arizona's best interest to give themselves a chance to carry that momentum into the season.
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