The Arizona Cardinals have looked better than many anticipated, and more than a few players have surprised us early. Joshua Dobbs, for example, has been outstanding following a lackluster Week 1 outing, and he currently ranks 19th out of 34 quarterbacks on PFF with a 68.4 grade.
Other notable Cardinals who have so far exceeded expectations include Michael Wilson, James Conner, Trey McBride, Andre Chachere, Krys Barnes, and Kyzir White. However, there are a few players the Cards should consider replacing, preferably from within, as they have underwhelmed more often this season.
One player is a blatant weak link on the offensive line, while the other two are rookies who are simply not ready to be full-time starters. So who should the Cardinals consider benching or at least giving fewer playing time to?
3 players the Arizona Cardinals must bench this week
1 - Elijah Wilkinson, G
Elijah Wilkinson has been the weak link on the Arizona Cardinals offensive line, scoring a PFF Grade of 33.7, which ranks 71st out of 73 qualified guards. To Wilkinson’s credit, he has only allowed one sack, but it doesn’t justify the overall seven pressures allowed in three contests.
At this rate, Wilkinson will allow in the upwards range of 40 pressures, which equates to 2.33 per game. Luckily, there is a player on the Cardinals roster who can replace Wilkinson in Trystan Colon.
Signed off of waivers, Colon posted a grade of 85.9, albeit a small sample size of 14 snaps. If the Cards continue to rotate Colon into Wilkinson’s spot, it could help stabilize the left side of the Redbirds offensive line in a way that Wilkinson has been unable to.