The Arizona Cardinals will be making some tough decisions over who to keep and who not to keep shortly after their final preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. And per the usual with the Cards and the other 31 NFL franchises, there will be players they controversially cut, and others that they will keep, leaving fans to ask, “Why did they keep him?”
With the Cards looking to get younger and building a new foundation for their team, two of the three players they should cut are “older” in the grand scope of things this season. Another player is a younger face who has hardly improved since he arrived in the desert in 2020.
3 players the Arizona Cardinals should cut, but won’t
1 - Zach Pascal, WR
Zach Pascal came over to the Cardinals on a two-year deal from the Philadelphia Eagles, so he’s familiar with coaches like Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis, even if he plays offense. And while Pascal has been moderately successful in his NFL career, the intriguing young talent at wide receiver that is behind him on the depth chart should entice Arizona to cut ties.
If the Cards weren’t getting younger this year, then I would lobby to keep Pascal, but at this point, you need youngsters and a lot of them. Guys like Marquise Brown, Greg Dortch, Rondale Moore, and Michael Wilson fit that criteria. And so do Daniel Arias III, Kaden Davis, and Andre Baccellia, among others.
Therefore, the Cards should keep one of the aforementioned names and get rid of Pascal. The problem, however, is that his potential leadership, special teams value, and familiarity with the coaches will most likely keep him in town.
If there is one way that the Cards would get rid of Pascal, it would be for someone like Arias, Davis, or Baccellia to enjoy more than an outstanding performance in Week 3. Such an outing would leave Arizona with no choice.