The Arizona Cardinals got a real training camp crowd at State Farm Stadium on Friday, but the offense never really matched the moment.
With fans in the building for the first time in 2026, the Red Sea showed up. The Cardinals’ attack, though, spent most of the day in neutral.
Mike LaFleur’s offense had a rough showing in team drills, especially with Jacoby Brissett still on the sideline. Gardner Minshew, Carson Beck and Kedon Slovis handled the reps for their groups, and the ball mostly stayed underneath. There were a few brighter moments - Trey McBride popped on a handful of plays - but the passing game leaned heavily on short checkdowns, with very little working into the intermediate or deep areas.
The defense didn’t exactly turn the practice into a takeover either, even if there were some noticeable individual wins. Darius Robinson and PJ Mustipher got into the backfield and made life uncomfortable for the quarterbacks, while Max Melton and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson each came away with solid pass break-ups. The only turnover came when Slovis botched a snap and put the ball on the ground.
That kind of practice isn’t a red flag this early in camp. It’s just a reminder that July 24 is about growth, not perfection. LaFleur made that point clear yesterday: the goal right now is simply to get better.
There were still plays to note on the offensive side when the ball did find the right hands. Jeremiyah Love, Michael Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kendrick Bourne all had moments.
LaFleur also addressed how he plans to handle fights during camp, and he didn’t leave much room for confusion.
"I'll be real with you guys. I'll be candid.
I told the guys yesterday with the fighting element, I said, 'You don't fight, because you can't fight in a game.' So why are we going to do anything ...
I guess you can fight in a game, but it's going to cost you a lot of money. You're going to cost the team, and then you're probably going to miss a game, if not more.
So don't fight.
"Now, if you do fight, I have a responsibility for this team to do what is best for this team. If that means that it's going to hurt the team to kick you out of that practice, then I got to keep you out there.
If it's going to hurt the team to keep you in practice because you're going to keep fighting, then I got to get you out. So in that split second, I reserve the right to make the decision on what I think is best for, in that case, probably 88 other guys.
Hopefully, we don't have a melee out there where I have to decide off 20. I don't anticipate that happening.
So that's that's what I told them."
The Cardinals are scheduled for a closed practice Saturday, a jog-through that begins at noon. Before that, special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis are set to speak in the Cardinals press conference room at 11:00 AM.
In Other News...
Cardinals QB Battle Just Took A Sudden Turn Around Brissett
The Cardinals quarterback competition has already taken a sharp early-season turn, and it came on the second day of training camp when Jacoby Brissett was not part of the 11-on-11 work. Gardner Minshew, Carson Beck and Kedon Slovis handled those reps instead, a setup that underscored how quickly the camp order can shift when a veteran is still trying to get comfortable in a new offense.
Mike LaFleur said there is no timeline for Brissett to catch up, which leaves Arizona with a real early sorting-out period at the most important spot on the field. The camp picture is already a little uneven beyond quarterback, with Paris Johnson and Josh Sweat starting on the physically unable to perform list and the organization also dealing with the indefinite suspension of personnel executive Ryan Gold under the NFLs gambling policy. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Lost Another Young D Lineman Before He Could Matter
Kaleb Proctors first NFL season is already on ice, another frustrating hit for a Cardinals rookie class that has been hit hard by lower-body injuries before it ever got rolling. The defensive lineman was placed on injured reserve, and Arizona is choosing to play it safe rather than try to squeeze any late-season value out of a player it wanted to develop into part of the rotation.
For a front that was counting on young depth to matter, the loss stings because it narrows the margin even more on the interior. The Cardinals will have to keep sorting through the rest of their defensive line group to absorb the snap load, but Proctors absence leaves one more unanswered question about how much of this rookie class will actually get a chance to contribute when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Mike LaFleur Just Drew A Line Around Cardinals Pick
The Cardinals decision to take Jeremiyah Love third overall in the 2026 NFL draft was always going to invite debate, especially for a rebuilding team spending such a premium pick on a running back. But Mike LaFleur has been quick to frame the move around more than positional value, pointing to Loves maturity, his willingness to learn and the kind of presence he has already brought into the locker room.
LaFleur has also made clear that Arizona believes Loves background matters as much as his talent, praising the foundation that shaped him and the way he carries himself around veterans. For a team trying to change its culture as much as its roster, that kind of endorsement is part of the pitch, even if the outside criticism around the pick is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]