The Arizona Cardinals have a team full of youngsters, making them a rather exciting group, even with lower expectations this season. Also, a new system on offense and on defense may also give some players unforeseen chances to step up and play a prominent role at least throughout camp in the preseason.
Below, you will meet a lot of younger talent that could very well make an impact on the Redbirds early in camp. But before we talk about them, let’s address one of the most intense storylines in camp.
5 bold predictions for Arizona Cardinals training camp
1 - Budda Baker gets his payday
The Arizona Cardinals are not tanking, and Budda Baker’s eventual payday will drive that point home. This will also let Baker become a mainstay on the Cardinals defense, and he will remain one of a few franchise cornerstones as the team’s new identity takes hold.
Earlier in the offseason, we discussed the strong possibility that general manager Monti Ossenfort opted for bargain free agent rentals so he would have enough eventual cap space to pay and extend players like Baker. And in this situation, Baker will be the first recipient of such an increased pay grade.
2 - Zaven Collins shows flashes of being a difference-maker at EDGE
A few years back, Haason Reddick successfully transitioned from inside linebacker to EDGE at the NFL level. Zaven Collins will make a similar transition, and that will start to show in camp and in the preseason when it becomes clear why head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis wanted him there.
At 6’4, 260 lbs, Collins more than has the size to compete as an EDGE rusher in a 3-4, and he can even line up as an end in a 4-3. Last season, he invaded the backfield enough times to record 11 tackles for loss, and you can expect more of that in 2023 when he’s at EDGE.
3 - One of the running backs steps up behind James Conner
In a recent piece, I stated Ty’Son Williams, despite being a potential odd man out, may also have the best chance of stepping in as the RB2 based on previous success with the Baltimore Ravens, albeit a limited sample size. But there are two other backs I can see stepping up into a legit RB2 role - Keaontay Ingram and Emari Demercado.
Not only will someone step up and become a viable force behind Conner, they will also put themselves into position to split carries with the bruising veteran come Week 1. This will help preserve the oft-injured Conner, and it could set the stage for one of the three aforementioned backs to become a potential long-term fixture for this Cardinals team, at least as a role player.
4 - Trey McBride emerges as the best overall pass catcher
Trey McBride has for a while now been one of our second-year players to watch, and he’s in a prime position to win the TE1 job from Zach Ertz, especially if the latter may be limited in camp. McBride looked more than capable at the position when Ertz went down with a knee injury, and even from a bold predictions standpoint, it’s more than realistic that he dominates in camp.
If that’s the case, then there is no question that McBride will open the season as the starter. And you can also expect him to continue recording the same steady numbers that turned heads during the latter half of 2022.
5 - Clayton Tune wins the starting job at some point
I’m still leaning toward Kyler Murray not opening the season as the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback, so it will come down to Colt McCoy and Clayton Tune. For obvious reasons, McCoy opens camp as the QB1, but Tune will capitalize on every rep he gets in team drills, and eventually works with the starting offense.
During the preseason, Tune outduels the aging McCoy, and ultimately wins the starting job by the end of the second preseason game, giving Arizona Cardinals fans more than a few reasons to tune in (no pun intended) to watch their team in the early going. I’ll also get even bolder and claim that Tune at least keeps the Cards competitive in games until Murray returns.
While Murray should be the ‘the guy’ upon the team clearing him to play, Tune will prove he can be a capable backup for now and in the future. The only reason to be concerned here comes in the form of potential quarterback controversies, but that’s a bridge we can cross at a later date.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)