Cards Camp: Five Position Battles to Watch

The Arizona Cardinals are fully underway through training camp - here's what to watch for.

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (33) practices during the team's training camp session at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 24, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY

GLENDALE, AZ - The Arizona Cardinals are now fully underway with training camp as Day 2 approaches, and there's plenty of spots up for grabs.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon insisted yesterday all spots and roles were open during their tenure at State Farm Stadium while also conceding we (as in the media) were "smart enough to know" certain roles have been defined.

That's fair, as nobody really wonders who will be taking snaps at quarterback or who will be patrolling the backend of the defense at safety.

Still, late July gives ample opportunity for names to rise and fall above the depth chart - here's what fans should watch for as training camp continues:

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Cards Camp: Position Battles to Watch

Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter (22) practices during the team's training camp session at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 24, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY

RB2: Trey Benson, Michael Carter, Emari Demercado

The Cardinals have their starter in James Conner (though he enters the final year of his deal), though the snaps behind Conner will be fun to monitor.

First dibs may go to the second running back taken off the board in Florida State rookie Trey Benson while veteran Michael Carter came on strong at the end of last season. Emari Demercado was able to show what he could do in spurts as well.

Starting Left Guard: Evan Brown, Jon Gaines, Isaiah Adams, Marquis Hayes, Elijah Wilkinson, Trystan Colon

Practically the only starting spot that's truly "open" for competition on Arizona's offense, the team has talked very highly about free agent signing Evan Brown through the offseason, and thus he's been pegged as the most likely starter.

However, don't be surprised to see Gaines (who was healthy enough to not start on PUP) make a push when he's fully available, or the rookie Adams. Hayes, Wilkinson and Colon all are returning vets that have significant combined starting experience from 2023.

WR2/3/4: Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zay Jones

There's no doubting who WR1 is in Arizona, as Marvin Harrison Jr. captured that role fairly early in his tenure with the organization despite being a rookie. He's earned it, too.

After that is a wildcard, mostly thanks to the presence of veteran Zay Jones, who was signed after the 2024 NFL Draft and can produce across each spot on the field.

Wilson showed he could be a strong boundary receiver for the Cardinals and Dortch has produced in the slot in previous opportunities.

Can Jones make a push for any of those starting roles?

Backup DL: Roy Lopez, Khyiris Tonga, Dante Stills, L.J. Collier, Ben Stille

We know the likes of Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols and Darius Robinson will see majority of the action along the Cardinals' defensive line, though Arizona DC Nick Rallis likes to rotate his crew heavily up front.

Lopez and Tonga figure to swap reps at defensive tackle (when they're not in nickel and in their 3-4 look) while Stills, Collier and Stille are able to work from the outside.

Despite being "backups" these guys will still play numerous snaps, and depth here is important to get right.

Cornerbacks... The entire room: Sean-Murphy Bunting, Garrett Williams, Max Melton, Kei'Trel Clark, Starling Thomas, Elijah Jones, Kei'Trel Clark, Jaden Davis

It's a wide open competition according to Rallis, who spoke a bit more about it here.

Murphy-Bunting is pretty cemented as one of the boundary corners, and so too does Williams' place as a starter - but whether that's in the slot or outside has yet to be truly defined.

The other spot could belong to Melton, the team's second-round pick this offseason.

It's a massively young room that has ample opportunity for practically anybody to snag starting spots from.