Cardinals Mailbag: Pre-Training Camp Edition

The Arizona Cardinals are ready to take the field at State Farm Stadium this week. Here's a few answers to fan questions.

The Arizona Cardinals will place cleat to turf at State Farm Stadium to officially commence training camp this week, marking one of the final big steps as the 2023 regular season approaches. 

There's still plenty of questions the team has to answer, most of which fans are eager to learn themselves. Let's answer a few of them ahead of the start of camp:

Q: Is expecting Kyler Murray to return Week 1 pushing it? 

A: There's been some great things said about Murray and his recovery. FWIW, there's been reports that his ACL tear was completely clean and he's ahead of schedule, which is obviously a good sign.

However, the Cardinals have (again, reportedly) been cautious in their approach with Murray and rightfully so. The last thing Arizona would want is to put their pricy franchise passer on the field before he is 100% and something unfortunate happen again. 

Also - for those rooting for Caleb Williams in Arizona next season - it'd be much easier for the Cardinals to offload Murray if he: 1. Stays healthy, and 2. Plays well. Regardless of what camp you're in, Murray's health is vital. 

Do I believe Murray is pushing to return by Week 1? Absolutely, I don't think his words on the recent Flight Plan episode were misguided. 

However, Arizona would be wise to not throw Murray back into the fire immediately. 

Q: Do you think Marquise Brown will be a good fantasy football option?

A: He certainly can be solid, and he proved that last season while DeAndre Hopkins served his initial six-game suspension. He recorded 50 catches for 553 yards and three touchdowns without Hopkins last season according to StatMuse.

The absence of Murray and a new offensive coordinator rightfully casts some clouds over Brown's abilities for the upcoming season, though you have to like Brown's chances of continually adding stats with Arizona likely needing to throw the ball in order to play catch up to other teams on the scoreboard. 

Opportunity is the name of the game in fantasy, and a clear WR1 on a team that should throw often should bode well most weeks. Combine that with Brown looking to prove himself on the final year of his rookie deal, and he could very well be an underrated addition to your roster. 

Q: What's going on at inside linebacker? 

A: Zaven Collins is moving to the edge and Isaiah Simmons is permanently in the secondary now, leaving some intrigue as to how the Cardinals will operate at inside linebacker moving forward. 

Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis have been extremely quiet with their plans for 2023, but we figure Kyzir White and Krys Barnes have a good shot at being at least two starters. 

This is where we get into the argument of how Arizona will align - if they opt to align in a 3-4, their crew of off-ball linebackers is set. A 4-3 would require one more, and the next candidate could very well be rookie Owen Pappoe or Zeke Turner. 

Most teams find themselves in base nickel packages nowadays, so if that's the case - the White/Barnes combo solves that mystery, too. 

TL:DR - we have no clue

Q: Who are some players you're excited to watch in training camp?

A: Michael Wilson is probably one of the hotter names among the fan base, and I'll definitely be watching to see if he can capitalize on the momentum he's build in minicamps. There's an opening for WR2 underneath Brown in the desert, and Wilson has all the opportunity to throw his hat in the ring. 

One less popular name I'm watching is Jon Gaines. The rookie center isn't favored to take the starting job away from Hjalte Froholdt, but everyone has raved about his smarts/football IQ. Though he best projects best as a stronger play next season, I'm intrigued to see how he does in his first training camp. 

Also - just for fun - Clayton Tune. Let's see if the rookie can make the quarterback battle anything worthwhile until Murray returns. 

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