Three Things to Watch in Cardinals Preseason Game
Arizona Cardinals football is back. On Friday, the team faces off against the Cincinnati Bengals in their preseason opener.
While the outcome of the game may be meaningless in terms of wins and losses, it matters for a majority of the players. Roster spots are still up for grabs and coaches will be focusing on multiple players to step up.
Here are three things to watch for in Friday's game:
Which cornerbacks will step up?
The cornerback battle has been a focal point during this year's training camp. Even though Byron Murphy Jr., Marco Wilson, and Antonio Hamilton are all returning from last season, the team is looking for them to make large strides this year.
The growth hasn’t been displayed so far in camp, judging by the comments from head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who said the cornerback roles are still to be determined, adding he needs to see the younger players step up.
Friday is the time for that to begin happening. Most of the cornerbacks will play other than Murphy.
The corner with the most eyes on him will be Wilson. The second-year player hasn’t received the most praise from his head coach. Kingsbury said the “jury is still out” on if Wilson will return to his starting role from last season.
Two players who have received praise from Kingsbury are Hamilton and rookie Christian Matthew. Hamilton will start on Friday while Matthew will have to make use of limited reps, as he isn’t listed on the team's depth chart heading into the game.
Josh Jackson also could push himself ahead of the pack with a stellar performance on Friday. At times during camp he has looked good having snagged an interception in the first week of camp. However, he acknowledged there have been good and bad days.
Greg Dortch and Andy Isabella
Two players who are expected to see plenty of playing time on Friday are wide receivers Greg Dortch and Andy Isabella. They are also having polar opposite camps.
Dortch is this year's camp darling. At least once during practice, Dortch will make an outstanding catch or showcase his quick-twitch speed down the field. On the other hand, Isabella enters his fourth year hoping to find a roster spot on a very deep receiver squad.
For Dortch, the challenge on Friday will be to display that his talent isn’t limited to just flashy plays during practice but in an actual game. He’ll have plenty of chances to show off as he is starting at receiver along with kick and punt returning.
In a receiving room as deep as the Cardinals, Dortch is unlikely to be fighting for a starting receiver role but could be looking to take over the return duties that receiver Rondale Moore will most likely relinquish due to more time on offense.
Special-teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers said there are a lot of candidates for the return role.
"If that's a player's role he better be really good at it," Rodgers said. "If you're going to keep a player and he's only going to return . . . he's got to be pretty good. So we'll let it play out in the preseason and see what shakes out."
Dortch and Victor Bolden Jr. are the only players set to take on return duties on Friday.
Unlike Dortch, Isabella doesn’t have a secondary role to play for; it’s receiver or bust. The good news is that Isabella has seemed to connect with quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, who will play behind Trace McSorley. The two have connected on deep passes during camp and Isabella should see some passes from him late in the game.
An impressive performance from Isabella could still mean falling short of making the team but it could lead to him being signed by another team or being traded.
Who can replace Chandler Jones?
The Cardinals' sack leader, Chandler Jones, headed for the flashy lights of Las Vegas to play for the Raiders. The team is now in search of who will replace Jones’s level of production as a pass rusher.
While Markus Golden will return this season, he won’t play Friday. It is unlikely that Devon Kennard will see time on the field due to an abdominal strain.
Outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck will start on Friday.
Gardeck has had a positive camp so far. Despite being one of the smaller outside linebackers, Gardeck has burst past offensive linemen to pressure the quarterback throughout camp.
Rookie Myjai Sanders, who will start alongside Gardeck, said he learns a lot from Gardeck. Sanders said the only player he has ever seen like Gardeck is Von Miller.
"He never wastes a step . . . and everything he do is intentional," Sanders said.
Similarly, Sanders has utilized his speed during his pass rush while his rookie counterpart Cameron Thomas has been showing off through with strength.
One other outside linebacker that could have a great night is Victor Dimukeje. The second-year linebacker has been putting pressure on the Cardinals quarterbacks at times during camp.
