Arizona Cardinals: Top 5 position battles heading into 2023
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t just a younger team in 2023. Many players from the Keim Era will be battling incoming talent that Monti Ossenfort brought in.
When you are a team that’s getting younger and in transition, you will witness quite a few position battles taking place. In one corner, you will find a few players from the old guard that was the Steve Keim/Kliff Kingsbury Era battling the new guard featuring talent current general manager Monti Ossenfort brought in.
A few battles, however, will feature a pair of Ossenfort/Jonathan Gannon guys, so this isn’t purely an old vs. new battle, or battles. Below, I projected one starter based on my own intuition and the best number one contender for what should be the top five position battles heading into 2023.
So who’s vying for their respective starting jobs? Keep reading for more.
Top position battles heading into the Arizona Cardinals season
1 - Quarterback
Projected Starter: Colt McCoy; Number One Contender: Clayton Tune
Kyler Murray most likely won’t start things off in Week 1, meaning 36-year-old Colt McCoy is the favorite to step in as the Week 1 starter. But Clayton Tune, despite being a Day 3 pick, could wind up winning the job if he performs in and manages games well during the preseason.
The younger Tune has more upside than the aging career backup in McCoy. Therefore, look for the Cardinals coaching staff to give the rookie every chance imaginable to win the starting job for Week 1. After all, he’s not a Keim guy.
2 - WR2
Projected Starter: Michael Wilson; Number One Contender: Zach Pascal
I’m going out on a limb and projecting rookie Michael Wilson to come into training camp as the projected starter here. Some may give this honor to Rondale Moore, and others may point to Zach Pascal, but Wilson’s size and overall productivity when healthy provides an outstanding complement to Marquise Brown better than Pascal and Moore.
However, the NFL is a different beast than the college game. So if Wilson shows in the preseason that he can’t withstand being an every down player, it opens things up for Pascal, another receiver who could receive the starting nod thanks to his size.