The Cardinals still have a couple of preseason roster questions hanging over inside linebacker, but the biggest thing is already settled: Mack Wilson is back in his starting “Mike” role.
Wilson missed the final nine games of last season because of a rib injury, and now he’s set to resume the job of relaying the defensive play calls to the rest of the unit. That leaves the other starting spot as a live competition between veteran Jack Gibbens and second-year linebacker Cody Simon.
Head coach Mike LaFleur said Tuesday that the answer there may not be fixed at all.
"I don't think there's a right or wrong answer for that," he said. "It's just like a starting five in basketball. Some weeks it just makes sense to go with a little bit more length, or some weeks it may make more sense to have the shooters out there, just depending on the team."
Even if the lineup shifts from week to week, all three linebackers - Wilson, Gibbens and Simon - appear safe on the roster.
The harder call comes with the last inside linebacker spot, where Owen Pappoe and Karson Sharar are fighting to stick. Arizona looks likely to keep four at the position, which puts those two in direct competition for what may be the final seat.
Pappoe is entering his fourth season and has carved out most of his value on special teams. He has topped 300 special teams snaps in each of the last two seasons, and he was on the field for 15 special teams snaps Thursday against the Raiders.
Sharar, a rookie taken in the sixth round, brings his own special teams background after piling up more than 1,000 snaps in college. Against the Raiders, he played 16 special teams snaps and added a special teams tackle.
Pappoe brings the athletic profile. Sharar brings the upside. When the Cardinals trim the roster to 53 players, that’s the kind of decision that can turn into a headache fast.
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The speculation around Conner is part of a larger wave of veteran uncertainty across the league, with familiar names surfacing as possible release or trade candidates before final cuts. For the Cardinals, the issue is less about what Conner has already meant to the offense and more about how quickly the numbers game can change in late August, when injuries, contract considerations and roster shuffling can turn a seemingly stable spot into one of the most watched decisions on the team. [Read more 🡒]
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The encouraging part for the Cardinals is not just that Moore sounds refreshed, but that he believes the camp has been productive in a way that matters for the offense. He has also talked about staying focused on his process rather than getting caught up in outside noise, which is the sort of steady mindset teams hope to see when a player is trying to carve out a bigger role. For Arizona, the question now is whether that approach turns into something more meaningful once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Jeremiyah Love Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Jeremiyah Love gave the Cardinals plenty to think about in the first half of their preseason game, handling 14 touches before the conversation shifted from usage to durability. Arizona has been trying to balance getting its rookie running back enough work to settle in with not overdoing it in a game environment that often features backup defenders and uneven protection.
Loves workload was already drawing attention when the ankle issue surfaced late in his final offensive snap, and now the bigger question is how much time he may miss as the regular season approaches. The Cardinals want him ready by Week 1, but the episode has turned a routine preseason evaluation into a test of patience, caution and how much risk the team is willing to take with one of its most closely watched young players. [Read more 🡒]