What to watch in the Cardinals' first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints

Before we begin, a reminder that will go unheeded by most of you: Preseason performances mean almost nothing. 

Sure, you may get a sense of how the Arizona Cardinals coaching staff will utilize certain personnel in specific situations when they host the New Orleans Saints in both teams’ preseason opener at State Farm Stadium on Saturday. Sure, it’s simply good for some of these guys to get reps, whether it’s rookies, newcomers, or guys coming off injuries. 

But don’t expect to learn anything definitive about the offense or defense; anything that leads to hope or despair. The play calling for both units will be vanilla to keep regular season opponents guessing. The starters will play limited snaps (Kyler Murray won’t play at all), and any success you witness against the Saints’ half-hearted starters or full-throttle second- and third-teamers will not predict success in the NFL. 

Hey, at least we’ll get to see the new kickoff rules in action.

Alright, resume your snap judgments and overanalysis. I doubt I even dented your enthusiasm for this glorified scrimmage.

Here are some things to watch in the Cardinals’ first preseason game.

---

Cardinals backup QB battle

Kyler Murray will not play in any of the Cardinals’ three preseason games. While coach Jonathan Gannon has not announced whether Desmond Ridder or Clayton Tune will start on Saturday, both figure to play a lot over the next three weeks.

There wasn’t much to glean from either player’s performance in camp. Neither player overwhelmed, but camp practice performances mean even less than preseason performances. It has been written a hundred times that GM Monti Ossenfort traded for Ridder and that would seem to give him a leg up in the competition for the backup QB spot. Ridder was listed as such on the initial depth chart that the Cardinals released this week, but Gannon cautioned against putting too much stock in that pecking order.

Ossenfort and Arizona’s scouting staff obviously saw something in Tune when they selected him in the fifth round in 2023. Tune insists that he is light years ahead of where he was during his rookie season.

“Just getting more and more comfortable with the system and the guys that you’re around means it’s becoming second nature at this point,” he said. “[Offensive coordinator] Drew [Petzing] will start calling plays and you already can finish his sentence. Having that comfort with Drew and [QB coach Israel Woolfork} and the rest of the staff is awesome.

“I learned a lot about how to play the game last year. It’s faster and the players are smarter so learning to take what the defense is giving you is important. It’s a long game. Punting is not bad.”

Ridder and Tune are the only QBs in camp other than Murray so it’s fair to expect that they will rotate halves or starts..

Outside linebacker rotation

BJ Ojulari will miss the season and Dennis Gardeck will slide into his role opposite newly extended Zaven Collins. That’s about all we know right now about a position that most analysts view as a glaring weakness. How much both of those players will play in the preseason is unknown. All Gannon has said is that each player’s reps will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

You would have thought the Cardinals would have wanted to take a long look at newly signed Marquis Haynes, but then they released him on Friday. You’d also have to think that Jesse Luketa and Victor Dimukeje will get good long looks.

Can 2024 fifth-round pick Xavier Thomas do enough to make the roster instead of the practice squad? Is 2022 third-round pick Cameron Thomas ready for a bigger role? What’s the plan for seldom used Tyreke Smith?

---

Running back rotation

Emari Demercado suffered a shoulder injury that Gannon said is not serious, but it’s still a shame for the second-year running back because he has had an impressive camp. He has played so well that he is listed third on the depth chart behind starter James Conner (whose reps the Cardinals should severely limit), and third-round draft pick Trey Benson, who should see a lot of time.

Demercado’s emergence had analysts questioning the future of Michael Carter. Carter will have a chance to reassert his role while DeeJay Dallas looks to lock down a special teams role and Tony Jones Jr. looks to survive. This feels like a wide open competition behind Conner.

The battle for CB2

Max Melton returned to practice on Thursday and that’s a good sign because the rookie second-round pick could use some preseason seasoning if he is going to start opposite Sean Murphy-Bunting. Garrett Williams remained out of practice so the veteran will likely miss all of Saturday’s game.

Beyond that, the cornerback room is a fascinating mix of players vying for playing time.

Starling Thomas V and Kei’Trel Clark have both impressed in camp. Elijah Jones is a 2024 third-round pick. Bobby Price, Michael Ojemudia, Jaden Davis, Divaad Wilson and Darren Hall are all vying for roster spots and roles.

---

New kickoff rules

One of the most anticipated additions to the 2024 NFL season is the new kickoff rules which have a distinct XFL flavor.

Cardinals special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers isn’t sure what to think yet.

Arizona Cardinals Special Teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers says the entire league has a different approach to the new dynamic kickoff format. pic.twitter.com/JEp1DznGFA

— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) August 2, 2024

But return man Greg Dortch knows exactly what he thinks. 

“I haven’t seen it in person live, but just watching it on film, I think there’s tons of opportunities for me to be explosive and make plays,” he said. “You don’t have guys running down full speed. It doesn’t start until I either catch the ball or the ball hits the ground, so that’s kind of an advantage to me.

“The game’s a little bit slower and everybody’s at like one level so should you break past that first level, it’s just you and the kicker. I’ll take my chances.”

PHNX will do a deeper dive on the revitalized play near the end of the preseason.

How much will the veteran newcomers play?

Again, Gannon has said that individual preseason reps will be determined on a case-by-case basis but it will be interesting to see how much the incoming veterans play.

Players such as defensive lineman Bilal Nichols, defensive lineman Justin Jones (who returned to practice on Thursday), linebacker Mack Wilson, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, and offensive linemen Evan Brown and Jonah Williams do not have reps in the Cardinals system.

Will they need more than returners in the preseason?

---

How much will Marvin Harrison Jr. play?

Gannon announced this week that rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will play against the Saints. That alone will likely draw many Cardinals fans to the stadium or their TV sets.

The 2024 No. 4 overall pick is the most hyped receiver since the franchise drafted Larry Fitzgerald 20 years ago. It’s unclear how much he will play and it’s unclear how much he will gain from being on the field without Murray, but at least he’ll get the first-game jitters out of the way, even if they’re just preseason jitters.

How much will the veterans play?

If Gannon is concerned about Murray’s health, he’s probably concerned about other key Cardinals veterans such as running back James Conner, and safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson.

But does Paris Johnson Jr. need to play more to reacquaint himself with the left tackle position? Will younger players such as receivers Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson, tight end Trey McBride, and outside linebacker Zaven Collins log more reps to establish a rhythm?

Tune in at 5 pm on Saturday for the answers.

Top photo via Getty Images

Follow Craig Morgan on X (Twitter)