Who shined, struggled for Arizona Cardinals at scrimmage with Denver Broncos
Trey McBride, Darius Robinson had good days for the Cardinals while others are still looking for preseason spark.
Arizona Cardinals starters likely won’t play until the regular season opener against the New Orleans Saints on September 7th.First-round pick Walter Nolen is progressing well from a calf injury but his return date is uncertain.
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The next time we’ll see the Arizona Cardinals‘ starters? Likely Sept. 7 against the New Orleans Saints, when it all counts for real.
After a joint practice session Thursday, Aug. 14, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced that neither his starters nor the Cardinals starters would play in the teams’ preseason game Saturday, Aug. 16.
And while the Cardinals do have one more preseason game — at home on Aug. 23 against the Las Vegas Raiders — it seems unlikely that they would use their starters after having them sit out in Denver.
It is not clear, though, exactly who qualifies as a starter. Last preseason, for example, the Cardinals did not play the vast majority of their starters at all. But some players on the fringes of the starting roster — especially younger players — still saw minimal playing time.
Walter Nolen making progress toward return
Before the joint practice, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon offered an update on defensive tackle Walter Nolen. The Cardinals’ first-round pick has not yet practiced during training camp due to a calf injury suffered at the team facility in mid-July.
“He’s doing well,” Gannon said. “He’s progressing right where he should be progressing. … Hasn’t had any setbacks, he’s progressing well.”
During practice, Nolen’s appearance supported his coach’s claim.
Throughout training camp, he regularly appeared with a compression sleeve on his injured right calf. But while the Cardinals went through their work with the Broncos, Nolen walked around the sidelines without that sleeve. He also did not appear to have a limp.
The Cardinals have not yet committed to a timeline for Nolen’s return, though NFL Media reported last month that his injury “puts him right up against the start of the season.”
Cardinals emerge from joint practice healthy
While Gannon was not available to reporters after practice to provide a formal injury update, it did not appear that the Cardinals suffered any significant injuries during the joint session.
The Cardinals, though, were without defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. Gannon said that Tomlinson is dealing with a knee injury, although it did not sound like a long-term concern.
“He’s doing well,” Gannon said. “But I didn’t think it was the right thing to do to put him out there today.”
Tip Reiman at the center of mini skirmish
These joint practice sessions are often marred by fights, as they reach a boiling point. The Cardinals and Broncos, for the most part, avoided those issues.
They did, though, have one small skirmish during a special teams drill. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it started with tight end Tip Reiman, who has built a reputation for his physical blocking style. After he laid a block on a return, a Broncos player popped up and took a quick swipe at him.
The two teams, though, quickly de-escalated the situation and returned to their respective sidelines without further incident.