The Arizona Cardinals took the field against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night at State Farm Stadium without a huge chunk of their roster, and the result reflected it. Dallas rolled to a 34-13 win while the Cardinals kept their starters and several familiar backups on the sideline.
In all, 34 Arizona players did not suit up for the preseason game. Some were held out as part of the usual preseason caution, while others were unavailable because of injuries.
Among the quarterbacks sitting out were Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck. The running back group was missing Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, James Conner, Trey Benson and Bam Knight.
At receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne and Devin Duvernay were all out. Tight end Trey McBride also did not play, along with Elijah Higgins and Tip Reiman.
The absences stretched across both lines, too. The Cardinals were without Paris Johnson, Isaac Seumalo, Hjalte Froholdt, Isaiah Adams, Elijah Wilkinson and Jon Gaines on offense.
Defensively, Walter Nolen, Roy Lopez, L.J. Collier, Zach Carter and Keveion'ta Spears were out up front, while Zaven Collins, Baron Browning, Josh Sweat, Mack Wilson and Jack Gibbens did not play at linebacker.
In the secondary, Will Johnson, Garrett Williams, Budda Baker and Andrew Wingard all sat.
A few of those absences were injury-related. Sweat and Reiman remain on PUP and were not eligible to play.
Garrett Williams had just come off PUP. Beck is dealing with a rib injury, Love sprained his ankle against the Raiders, Conner still has not practiced 11-on-11 as he works back from a severe season-ending ankle injury from last season, Benson has been dealing with a knee issue and Carter was hurt in the Hall of Fame Game.
Spears simply has not been with the team very long.
A few of the players who sat out were healthy but not starters, including Knight, Duvernay and Gaines, all of whom are expected to make the roster.
With so many regulars unavailable, Arizona’s starting lineup looked very different. Gardner Minshew started at quarterback, with Corey Kiner at running back.
The wideout group featured Jalen Brooks, Ihmir Smith-Marseatte and Reggie Virgil, while Teagan Quitoriano handled tight end. Up front, the offense lined up with Jayden Williams, Hayden Conner, Ka'Ena De Cambra, Matt Pryor and Josh Fryar.
On defense, the Cardinals opened with Dante Stills and Andrew Billings on the line, Jordan Burch and Eku Leota at outside linebacker, Cody Simon and Karson Sharar at inside linebacker, Denzel Burke, Max Melton and Sean Murphy-Bunting at corner, and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Kitan Crawford at safety.
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Cardinals Collapse Put Their Quarterback Gamble In A Tougher Spot
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Mike LaFleur pointed to a poor week of practice as part of the problem, and the game did little to ease the pressure around a roster trying to find some stability. The defensive concerns are obvious enough, but the bigger question may be how much support the quarterbacks will actually have if the rest of the team cannot hold up its end. For a club already weighing its options under center, a lopsided preseason setback does not make that decision any easier. [Read more 🡒]
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Arizona allowed 25.6 points per game in the preseason, along with 139.7 rushing yards and a 61.1% opponent third-down conversion rate, numbers that point to more than just August rust. With coaching changes at most positions but continuity at defensive coordinator, the Cardinals are still searching for signs that the problems from a year ago are being addressed rather than repeated. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Still Have Key Week 1 Jobs Up For Grabs
With one preseason game left before the roster gets trimmed to 53, the Cardinals are still sorting out a few of the most important Week 1 decisions. Mike LaFleur is expected to settle on Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, while Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier appear set to share the workload at running back, giving Arizona a clearer picture of the top of the depth chart even as the final shape of the lineup remains in flux.
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 🡒]