TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals’ roster is going to look very different in a little more than a week’s time.
For those looking to improve their initial 53-man roster stock, it’s now or never. There’s only a handful of practices and the preseason finale left to show out.
And while most of the roster looks concrete, there are still quite a few battles to keep tabs on during this final stretch.
A look at the “hot spots” on Arizona’s roster ahead of Saturday’s preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders:
ILB: Cody Simon vs. Owen Pappoe vs. Mykal Walker
The situation within the inside linebackers room is among the biggest position battles to watch the rest of the way.
Mack Wilson Sr. has asserted himself as the MIKE backer, with Akeem Davis-Gaither likely to get the early starting nod.
How things shake out behind them is where it gets interesting.
Cody Simon and Owen Pappoe appear to be the next two on the depth chart, with Mykal Walker and Vi Jones falling in line after that.
“I think it’s a tight competition. … I thought Cody had a good game. Owen’s doing some good things. Myk Walker, Vi is doing a good job,” coach Jonathan Gannon said. “That’s one of the hot spots for me, honestly. Fourth down plays a factor into that happening, too. There’s a lot of ball to be played still this week with those guys, but I think (ILBs coach Cristian Garcia’s) doing a good job with them.
“All of them now have had green dot experience either in practice, joint practice or the game, which is one of the reasons for the rotation (this preseason). We’ll see how it keeps going.”
As for how those on the backend of the roster can improve their standing, the answer’s simple: Gannon’s looking for playmakers to step up.
Arizona only kept three inside linebackers on last year’s initial 53-man roster. Can the fourth man on the totem pole, which appears to be Pappoe, prove he deserves a spot?
WR: Simi Fehoko vs. Tejhaun Palmer
The WR3 battle has been decided for weeks. What happens in the backend of the wide receivers room? Not so much.
Heading into the preseason finale, five spots looked filled:
WR1: Marvin Harrison Jr.
WR2: Michael Wilson
WR3: Zay Jones
WR4: Greg Dortch
WR5: Xavier Weaver
And with Arizona firm on keeping six in each of the past two seasons, all signs point to that being the case in 2025.
That leaves one spot for either Simi Fehoko or Tejhaun Palmer.
The two have had their respective ups and downs since training camp started, whether it be injury or inconsistent play, and now head into Saturday needing a good showing to prop up their case.
Palmer looked to have the upper hand heading into preseason action, but it’s Fehoko who’s taken the lead. He might not give it back, either.
After dealing with a quad injury in camp, Fehoko bounced back with a touchdown against the Denver Broncos on top of flashing on special teams.
He’s also left an impression on second-year pro Marvin Harrison Jr. and others in the room.
“I think he’s definitely elevated everybody’s game in certain stand points,” Harrison said Monday. “I think he’s done a great job with that. His ball skills are tremendous and the way he can come back to the football definitely has helped me and I’ve made sure that I can kind of take that from his game.”
IDL: P.J. Mustipher vs. Elijah Simmons vs. Justin Jones
The Cardinals will likely keep six or seven defensive linemen. There very well could be just one spot left for the taking between P.J. Mustipher, Elijah Simmons and Jones.
Mustipher has had a strong offseason and caught the eye of Gannon early on. He’s on his way to securing a final spot on the roster.
Simmons flashed during camp but has been falling behind through two preseason games.
Jones, meanwhile, continues to deal with injury issues.
After working his way back from a season-ending torn triceps injury, Jones picked up a knee issue this camp and has yet to appear in any preseason games.
The once ultra-available defensive lineman has been anything but in his Cardinals tenure.
And although there would be some dead money attached to a potential release, it’s very much on the table with how the revamped positional group is shaking out.
The Cardinals have already dealt with injuries within the DL room and yet still have some serious interior depth at the position.
Even with rookie Walter Nolen III and Bilal Nichols starting training camp on the PUP list and Justin Jones picking up a knee injury, there’s still plenty of good vibes at the position.
Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson and Darius Robinson make up a strong starting trio, with Dante Stills and L.J. Collier stepping in as solid rotational pieces after playing some of their best football a year prior.
CB: Elijah Jones vs. Darren Hall
Just like the wide receivers room, cornerback is another position with a final roster spot coming down to the last week of work.
The two names here are Elijah Jones and Darren Hall.
Hall held a slight lead over Jones following Arizona’s preseason opener thanks to an interception in the winning effort.
But after Jones’ forced fumble in the red zone against Denver last week, the race is neck and neck heading toward the finish line.
“I just want to showcase what I can do,” Jones told Arizona Sports’ Cardinals Corner in March. “I’m happy to be pushed by other corners in my class. I feel like there’s been a lot of success at my position around the league and even within our building. Max (Melton) had a good year. I just want to be able to show that I’m here as well.”
S: Kitan Crawford vs. Joey Blount
Rounding out the hot spots on the Cardinals roster is the final safety spot coming down to Kitan Crawford and Joey Blount.
The rookie Crawford has flashed as a defender through two preseason games to go along with his special teams abilities.
Crawford appears to have the lead, but has he really done enough to really overtake Arizona’s special teams ace?
“He’s done some good things. He’s got ball skills. He’s operating pretty well. But as a rookie safety in this defense — just like Rabbit was last year — there’s some things that he’s got to keep improving on schematically execution-wise,” Gannon said of Crawford.
“But he plays how you want to play. He’s physical, he’s violent, he can run. Those things are typically good. I’m pleased with where he’s at knowing that he’s got a long way to go. I like where he’s trending right now.”
