6 Cardinals players who could lose snaps to rookies in 2024

A couple of weeks removed from the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Arizona Cardinals' roster is looking mighty different.

In total, the Cardinals brought in 12 draft picks and a handful of undrafted free agents.

With a well-rounded draft class, the Cardinals expect big things out of their rookies from the get-go. Could the majority of them earn playing time in Year 1?

Which Cardinals veterans could see a reduction in playing time for 2024?

Real quick, we know both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Darius Robinson are stepping into big-time, prominent roles, so we won't necessarily need to include them on a list like this.

James Conner, RB

It almost seems wrong to talk about James Conner losing snaps, because he's coming off a career year in which he posted 1,040 rushing yards while averaging a healthy 5.0 yards per carry. However, Conner just turned 29 years old and the Cardinals know what happens to running backs after age 28.

That's why drafting Trey Benson in the third round was such a slam dunk. Benson came into the draft as one of the best (if not the best) at his position. And, as a rookie, he very well could wind up stealing the starting job from Conner. Now, it might not be right away. But, as the season wears on, we could see Benson take over.

Elijah Higgins, TE

Behind Trey McBride, the Cardinals didn't have much in terms of reliability at the tight end position. Elijah Higgins was the TE2, that is until Arizona drafted Tip Reiman in the third round this year. Now, McBride is going to be a featured part of the passing game, no doubt.

But, Reiman is going to play a lot over Higgins due to the fact that he's an excellent blocker. For a team that might want to first establish a running identity, the Cardinals could lean heavily on a guy like Reiman as a rookie.