3 Arizona Cardinals players who need a bounce back performance in Preseason Week 3

The Arizona Cardinals have a lot of players, both those slated to make the 53-man roster and those looking to at least snag a spot on the practice squad, in need of a bounce back game. Some, like quarterback Colt McCoy, will likely see very little playing time in the upcoming Preseason Week 3 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. McCoy and most of the starters will need to make the most of their respective opportunities in this week’s slate of joint practices. 

There is one projected starter slash major role player, however, who should see extended playing time based on their horrendous performance last week. I also listed two others who will be fighting for a roster spot in need of a picture-perfect game this upcoming Saturday, and a successful week of practice also wouldn’t hurt. 

So who needs to bounce back more than anyone else to put themselves in position to either stay long-term or at least remain a part of this team? Here are your top three. 

3 Arizona Cardinals who need a bounce back performance

1 - Isaiah Simmons, S

Isaiah Simmons is the Captain Obvious player on this list, given his noticeably lackluster effort and overall performance last Saturday. A few years back, the Arizona Cardinals made a position switch with former 13th overall pick Haason Reddick, one that paid off well for the Redbirds that year…until they let him walk in free agency and kept Chandler Jones around.

At this point, it doesn’t look like Simmons will be the next Hasson Reddick in terms of a player switching positions and finding success. He will also need to win back more than just the coaching staff, because it’s no secret the Red Sea is fed up with him. 

2 - Davion Davis, WR

Davion Davis won’t make the opening day roster no matter what he does, but as with so many young players, the practice squad is always a realistic option. However, Davis finds himself well behind the eight-ball after he muffed a potential kick return in Saturday’s loss. He also only found himself targeted once last week in the passing game, and ended the contest with zero catches.

The upside is that Davis did show promise in the return game, running back one kick return for 31 yards. To put things into perspective, that was twice as long as Emari Demercado’s (15 yards) and Keaontay Ingram’s (13 yards).

3 - Corey Clement, RB

Corey Clement is showing us more proof that he’s nothing more than a special teamer who should never touch the football while on offense. This past week, Emari Demercado got a look as the RB3 while Clement fell to the RB4 role, gaining just three yards on two carries. He also had one reception for four yards on two targets. 

Overall, Clement has been lackluster throughout the preseason, and his special teams value will be the only thing keeping him around at the moment. Unless Clement enjoys a remarkable outing this Saturday against the Vikings, don’t be surprised if he’s not part of the final 53.

(Statistics provided by ESPN.com)