Mailbag: Cardinals Training Camp is Here

The Arizona Cardinals begin their 2024 season today.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White (7) holds onto the ball after intercepting a Dallas Cowboys pass in the end zone in the second half at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 24, 2023. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals will take the field at State Farm Stadium today.

That's a sentence that hasn't been muttered in quite some time, though training camp is officially here for Jonathan Gannon's second season at the helm - and the time for talk in the desert is over.

It's time to start showing progress.

That will come over the course of the next few weeks - for now, one final (and quick) mailbag until pads start clicking once more. Thanks for the questions, it's truly appreciated.

Q: What's going to be the most interesting position battle and who do you see winning it? - Mando

A: The easy answer will be at left guard since that's likely the most open spot for anybody to grab, though Evan Brown seems to be in pole position at the moment.

Instead, I'll take my attention to the secondary, where defensive coordinator Nick Rallis offered this just recently when asked about his young group of cornerbacks:

"I think it's pretty simple. It's highly competitive and it's up for grabs for guys to go take and earn spots, which is a great problem to have. I'm excited, it's going to be really good competition," Rallis said.

"I want to see a lot of guys take strides during training camp, and I want there to be tough decisions on who's going to earn certain roles."

In theory, Arizona's starters might be set with Sean Murphy-Bunting, Max Melton and Garrett Williams, though there's nothing but hungry guys in that room - I'm excited to see the competition play out.

Bonus battle: What role Zay Jones can carve out, whether that's battling for WR2 duties with Wilson or slot duties with Greg Dortch.

Q: Which undrafted rookie has the best chance at making the roster? - Austin

A: There's only a few options to choose here, but I'd probably lean WR Xavier Weaver.

Arizona's receiving corps is set at the top four, and it's anybody's guess as to how the other spots will fill out. His Colorado tape was impressive and if Weaver can really pop out on special teams, I think he's a guy to watch when final cuts roll around.

It's an uphill battle for anybody, though.

Q: In your estimation, do the Cardinals have the most talented roster amongst its NFC West opponents? If not, where does Arizona slot? - Ed

A: Man, making me work here Ed!

I still think the 49ers are the top team in the division for nearly every aspect. They've earned that right with recent play and their squad again looks like a big favorite to make a deep push into the postseason.

Here's where the water gets a bit murky, and quite honestly you can make the argument for any team to slot at No. 2. In my eyes, it's the Niners and everybody else.

But, if I'm choosing, I'd rank Seattle's roster over Arizona and the Cardinals' over the Rams.

Q: What do you believe are the key winnable games this year that may be the make/break reason for the Cardinals playoff hopes?

A: I think Buffalo in Week 1 will be a really solid test for the team, and if they can pull off an upset, that can really jumpstart them out of the gates.

As far as winnable games, I'm looking at three home matchups against Washington, Chicago and New England as teams the Cardinals should ultimately come away with a victory.

A swing game would be the Chargers on Monday night.

All the aforementioned games can really sway their postseason hopes.

Q: Is bringing donuts for everyone to eat winning behavior? - Bo

A: When they go low, we go high.

Shoutout to Bo Brack and the PHNX crew. Truly fantastic coverage over there, go check them out (if you somehow haven't already).

Hope everybody enjoys camp this year, it's great to be back.

Signed, Donnie Donuts.