The Cardinals are almost at the finish line of roster cutdown season, and three recent draft picks are suddenly staring at the wrong side of the bubble.
With Arizona set to trim to 53 players in less than a week, first-year head coach Mike LaFleur is facing the kind of tough calls that always come with this point on the calendar. The team has had an early training camp start and a fourth preseason game, which should give them a fuller read on the roster than most clubs get. Even so, some players are still likely to get squeezed out.
One of the clearest names in trouble is running back Benson. The third-year back entered camp already fighting uphill after last season’s meniscus injury, and he needed to show he was healthy and productive.
That hasn’t happened. He also hasn’t been able to participate in most team activities, and Bam Knight has taken over RB4 duties.
If Arizona keeps four running backs, Knight appears to be the one in that spot.
At this stage, Benson looks headed toward one of three outcomes: cut, trade, or placement on PUP, which would force him to miss at least the first four games. Either way, his future in Arizona looks shaky.
Ojulari’s situation is different, but the result may be the same. His slide isn’t tied to a fresh injury.
Instead, he has struggled to fully recover from the knee injury he suffered before the 2024 season. He’s been trying to get back on the field and recapture the finish he had to his rookie year, but that level of production hasn’t returned.
The Cardinals have also kept running Ojulari deep into preseason games, and that says plenty about where he stands. Eku Leota’s rise in the outside linebacker group has only made things harder, and Ojulari’s chances to force the issue are running out.
Clark is fighting a different kind of battle in a crowded cornerback room. He brings versatility and starting experience, but Arizona’s depth at the position is starting to work against him. Garrett Williams is back from PUP and gives the Cardinals another highly flexible piece, while Sean Murphy-Bunting’s move to the slot only adds to the congestion.
Add in Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, Max Melton and Starling Thomas all competing for snaps, and there simply may not be enough room. In a room that deep, Clark could be the one who gets pushed out by the numbers.
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Cardinals Still Have Key Week 1 Jobs Up For Grabs
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Plenty of other jobs are still being sorted out on both sides of the ball, and the last exhibition outing figures to matter for more than just fringe roster hopefuls. Several projected starters and rotation spots are still tied to game-plan needs and how players perform in live action, which means the Cardinals are entering the finish line with a few questions still open and a lot of the meaningful decisions still ahead. [Read more 🡒]