Red Rain Pre-Season 53-Man Roster Bottle Opener Ahead of Hall of Fame Game
By Walter Mitchell
By now, many of you have seen the Cardinals' first depth chart of the pre-season. It is as follows:
There are so many issues that I have with this initial chart that I think it would be easier to provide a 53-Man Roster calculation.
QB (2) Jacoby Brissett, Carson Beck
It's been perplexing to understand Mike LaFleur's signing of Gardner Minshew, as Minshew does not physically match LaFleur's QB profile. Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck fit the profile practically to a tee and they have been the strongest passers in camp, by a wide margin. Minshew should clear waivers (g-ted salary) and could be signed to the practice squad. Either landing on the 53 or practice squad, he gets to keep his guaranteed $5.1M.
RB (4) Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, James Conner, Bam Knight
Trey Benson was not at practice yesterday and no one as yet appears to know why. James Conner's leadership is vital to the success of the RB room and the locker room. Bam Knight gives the team a valuable bang the hole RB option, plus he's one of their most aggressive special teamers.
TE (4) Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins, Tip Reiman, Rivaldo Fairweather
Not sure at this point when Tip Reiman will be available, thus we need to focus on the players in camp and one of the young TE to pop out on numerous occasions is Rivaldo Fairweather who brings speed and slipperiness as a receiver and some pop as a blocker. Mike LaFleur lined him up as a fullback for Jeremiyah Love this week, which speaks to Fairwhether's versatility.
WR (6) Michael Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Kendrick Bourne, Devin Duvernay, Ihmir Smith-Marquette, Simi Fehoko
Smith-Marquette appears to be bonding well with Jacoby Brissett and is a veritable deep threat, plus a very good special teamer. Simi Fekoko is one of the more valuable special teamers. The Cardinals will keep a cadre of young receivers on the PS like Jalen Brooks, Reggie Virgil and Xavier Weaver.
OL (10) Paris Johnson Jr., Isaac Seumalo, Hjalte Froholdt, Isaiah Adamns, Elijah Wilkinson, Josh Fryar, Matt Pryor, Jon Gaines II, Chase Bisontis, Jayden Williams.
Likely PS keepers: Demontrey Jacobs, Oli Udoh, Hayden Conner and Valentin Senn or Chrisitan Jones. I think it is possible that Justin Frye may insert Matt Pryor at RT in likely passing situations, if Wilkinson struggles in pass pro, as he has during camp.
DI (6) Walter Nolen III, Roy Lopez, Darius Robinson, Dante Stills, Andrew Billings, Jonah Williams
PS: L.J. Collier
ED (4) Josh Sweat, Jordan Burch, Baron Browning, B.J. Ojulari
Hunch: Cardinals are going to trade Zaven Collins (most likely to the Patriots).
PS: Eku Leota
ILB (4) Mack Wilson Sr., Cody Simon, Owen Pappoe, Jack Gibbens
PS: Karson Sharar
CB (6) Will Johnson, Max Melton, Elijah Jones, Garrett Williams, Denzel Burke, Kei'Trel Clark
Even though Sean Murphy-Bunting made a nice interception on a late out pass throw from Jacoby Brissett to Michael Wilson, he is no match in the slot for Puka, JSN and CMC. Come week one, Garrett Williams should be playing the slot in zone coverages (Covers 2,3,4) and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson should be playing the slot in Cover 1 (man).
PS: Starling Thomas V
S (4) Budda Baker, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Andrew Wingard, Kitan Crawford
PS: Isaiah Oliver
Have to feel for super STs baller, Joey Blount, who may need to retire due to his neck injury, now compounded by a stinger he recently incurred in practice.
.ST (3) Blake Gillikin, Chad Ryland, Casey Kreiter
After each pre0season game, we will open an updated calculation.
Your thoughts? Your own predictions?
Adams had a terrible year last season and arrested over the summer, not sure why he would still be starting . Going to be a long year for this defense. What’s going to happen when Wilson outperforms Jr again, he going to be traded at deadline as the summer rumors get louder?
ReplyDeleteChase Bisontis has not been as physical in training camp as has been expected. Adams has been showing promise.
DeleteThe Zaven Collins trade was something I thought made more sense back at the Draft, when they were still in a position to select Reese or Styles.
ReplyDeleteIf they traded him now, and go into the season with the tandem of Burch and Browning rushing opposite Sweat, that might be the weakest weak side pass rush in the entire NFL
Josh Sweat is the WOLB. I think the coaches want Jordan Burch to command the SOLB, with Baron Browning and B.J. Ojulari as situational edge rushers. It also appears that Eku Leota is gaining the confidence of the coaches, as he got some 1st team reps this week.
DeleteAs for Zaven Collins, I think Mike Vrabel would love him in the ILB role that Jack Gibbens thrived in last year. Since Monti and Gannon moving him from MILB to SOLB in 2023 in 796 pass rushes only 10 sacks.
Trey Benson could really help another club, wonder if the Rams would call on him.
ReplyDeleteThe Minshew take is spot-on. LaFleur's offense needs a QB who throws on rhythm and stays in structure — that's Brissett and Beck to a tee. Minshew wins by improvising, so he's just a bad fit.
ReplyDeleteThe Minshew signing raises a real question about LaFleur. He's the reason Minshew is here — they bonded at the 2019 Senior Bowl, and LaFleur has said he likes that Minshew can move and improvise. He personally recruited him.
But if Brissett and Beck are the ones who actually fit the scheme, and they've been the far better fits in camp by a wide margin, then how does bringing in Minshew evoke any confidence that LaFleur understands what his own offense needs? This is a first-year coach installing his system. Knowing what the position requires to run it is the most important thing he brings. If he misread that on a QB he's known for seven years, what does it say about his grasp of his own scheme — as a leader and a play-caller?
The QB room is where a coach's understanding of his offense gets exposed first. This one's fair to watch.
WTF!
Watching 5th round pick Reggie Virgil flash in practice, if he can contribute on special teams, he's going to make the 53-Man roster.
ReplyDeleteLooking over this depth chart on its own — setting aside the NFC West gauntlet and the frustration that we're somehow still in a rebuild that's dragged on far too long — this is the most talented roster we've had in a while. Could it be better, more cohesive, more competitive? Sure. But it's promising, and the competition for starting jobs should be the most legitimate we've seen in multiple seasons.
ReplyDeleteThe key now is on the coaches. They have to play and develop the players who actually have starting talent, and let growth happen on the field over a 17-game season — not lean on experimentation and contract-driven decisions. If they do that, then 2027, with a legitimate franchise QB in place, gives this moribund franchise a real chance to finally flip the narrative: from NFL doormat to a legit, perennial playoff team, and maybe more.
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