Arizona Cardinals fans are set to get their first real glimpse of the team’s top unit when the starters take the field Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Head coach Mike LaFleur said Tuesday, on the final day of training camp in Glendale, Arizona, that the starters will play in the preseason road game. That includes starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, though the workload will be light.
"They're all going to play," LaFleur said. "We'll have our guys out there."
He said that would include starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, although the starters won't go for long. "(It) could be one drive (or a) max of two for those main guys, but yeah, they'll be playing and they know that."
The Cardinals should also have rookie running back Jeremiyah Love on the field, along with everyone else who is healthy.
It should be a brief but useful test, especially with the Raiders expected to play their starters as well. For a series or two, Arizona’s first-team offense and defense will get to line up against other NFL starters, even if the opponent is the Las Vegas team that finished last in the league a season ago.
That makes this a better measuring stick than what the Cardinals showed in the Hall of Fame Game. The offense looked good there. The defense did not.
Now the question is whether that changes once the starters are in the mix. That’s what Thursday night is for.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, which is 5 p.m. Arizona time.
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Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew each helped drive the offense with touchdown passes, giving the Cardinals a more confident rhythm under center. The only cloud came when rookie Chase Bisontis left with an apparent knee injury, a reminder that even on a night of progress, the roster picture can change quickly and the line depth remains a point worth watching. [Read more 🡒]