Reacting to Cardinals Initial 53-Man Roster

The Arizona Cardinals made a wave of cuts in the waning days of the off-season.

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter (22) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA-- Today, the Arizona Cardinals, along with 31 other teams, made their initial cuts, paring down their roster to the ultimate 53. Some preseason studs were able to earn a spot, while others were unexpectedly cut.

While this group doesn't necessarily represent the 1:1 team that we'll see week one against Buffalo, the decisions did bring up some notable storylines as the Cardinals are set to begin year two of their rebuild.

Tough decisions were made in the RB room

It figured going into the off-season that, behind James Conner, Michael Carter would be a relative lock to make the squad.

The 25-year-old only played in six contests with the Cardinals last season, but amassed 6.8 yards per attempt in limited action. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said the Cardinals had seen everything they needed to out of him.

At the time, that could have been inferred as an indication Carter would make the roster, but he finds himself the odd man out.

What this does say, is that the Cardinals are confident about the potential they have in Trey Benson, and Emari Demercado's value goes beyond what he can do carrying the ball. DeeJay Dallas figures to be a pure return specialist, at least for the moment.

It's strange to see a decision like this, given that Carter had the best pure running ability, and is a different archetype of back to Conner (and eventually Benson), but schematically - and with a healthy Kyler Murray - the Cardinals are likely looking more for specialized abilities rather than complete backs.

With Conner still set to take on the majority of reps, there's little worry that Arizona's ground attack will suffer much, but Carter brought a change of pace that seemed to be valuable initially.

Xavier Weaver earned his spot

The undrafted rookie out of college had a very solid preseason, looking good both in the passing game and on kick returns. With Zay Jones' suspension, a spot opened up, and Weaver's athleticism and all-around contributions earned him a chance to compete at the highest level.

He doesn't figure to be high on the depth chart, but for a burst here and there, the agile Weaver is both a deep threat and a good open-field ball carrier.

An already solid WR group has a potential dark horse to be a contributor in the 2024 season. It wouldn't be a surprise if Weaver has plenty of big play potential, even in the regular season.

The defensive front is still weak

There wasn't much left to cut, but the Cardinals released five defensive linemen. Of course, the most surprising move was sending burgeoning third-year OLB Cameron Thomas to the Chiefs for a seventh-round pick.

With that move in mind, it figures that Thomas didn't have much of a shot to make the final roster, but he put out an excellent preseason, and the Cardinals are starved for any production on the D-line and edge.

Though a move could still be made to bolster the unit, it certainly appears that GM Monti Ossenfort is opting not to prioritize this position group.

It does suggest the Cardinals see potential in Xavier Thomas and their in-house D-linemen, but if this is the group that rolls into week one, there might not be much pressure on Josh Allen.

Guys like Zaven Collins and Dennis Gardeck made the roster to little surprise, and Jesse Luketa was able to earn a spot with some solid preseason play, but the unit's ceiling is pretty low for now, barring any breakouts.

Tune Time

It wasn't a major surprise to see QB Desmond Ridder not make the cut. Ridder struggled in both camp and the preseason after Arizona traded Rondale Moore for him.

Still, Clayton Tune had his own fair share of struggles. He certainly looked significantly more comfortable in the pocket, but some errant throws had unsightly results. For now, Tune will serve as Kyler Murray's backup, but it wouldn't be a shock to see the Cardinals look for another QB elsewhere.

The secondary is deeper than expected

Last season, the Cardinals' secondary was one of their biggest weaknesses. There was certainly some less-than-thrilling play from their fringe players in the preseason, but the ultimate cuts weren't too much of a shock.

Now, the Cardinals will enter 2024 having added Sean Murphy-Bunting, Max Melton and Elijah Jones to the cornerback room, and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson to the safeties.

Taylor-Demerson and utility DB Darren Hall stood out all preseason, earning their roster spots behind an already-strong safety tandem of Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson.

Arizona's secondary might not jump off the page, but some development for guys like Kei'Trel Clark, Starling Thomas V and Garrett Williams could compound with the added talent to create a deeper group than might have been anticipated.

Conclusion

As a whole, there isn't a ton of depth on this team. With the surprising cut of LB Krys Barnes, the WR group and secondary are the only facets of this team that aren't either weak as a whole, or simply quite top-heavy.

Of course, there's always a chance Ossenfort makes a last-minute move, though that seems relatively unlikely for now.

There will be chances for rookies to break out and contribute, development from young returning players, and even possible hidden gems. The Cardinals are still a long way from consistent contention, and are quite offense-centric as it stands, but there's no predicting just how the 2024 regular season will play out.