Six Cardinals to Watch in Preseason Finale

These are players to watch as the Arizona Cardinals conclude their preseason.

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder (19) 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 -- The Arizona Cardinals look to conclude their preseason run when the Denver Broncos play host at Mile High in Week 3.

With just 60 minutes of action remaining until the Cardinals officially put the preseason behind them, out staff each picked a player fans should watch when kickoff rolls around at 1:30 PM Arizona time:

Players to Watch in Cardinals Preseason Finale

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Xavier Thomas

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Xavier Thomas (54) breaks towards quarterback Clayton Tune (15) during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 25, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Thomas has been fairly strong during the first two weeks of preseason play, and the Cardinals’ rookie edge rusher could put an exclamation point on his progress with another strong outing in Denver. The loss of BJ Ojulari opened the door for opportunities elsewhere, and a third consecutive productive week will make the coaching staff strongly consider Thomas as a potential option once the regular season begins. - Donnie Druin

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Dadrion Taylor-Demerson

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon talks to Arizona Cardinals rookie safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (42) during minicamp at Dignity Health Training Center on June 11, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Safety wasn’t exactly the position the Cardinals needed the most help at, but they might have found a guy who can contribute at the NFL level in a similar style to current star Budda Baker. The high-energy DB has been one of the most exciting presences on the field in the previous two contests. It’s probably a safe bet the Rabbit isn’t going anywhere, so it’s not exactly a final audition, but he’s made consistent plays without making too many coverage mistakes. Take special note of his closing speed and ability to make solo open field tackles - he may have a small frame, but he uses his momentum to stop ball carriers dead in their tracks. - Alex D’Agostino

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Trey Benson

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (33) 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

There has been much discourse about the Cardinals’ running back room this offseason - with as many as four other backs in the room that could make the roster outside of unquestioned starter James Conner and Benson. Michael Carter has impressed as a spark-plug runner as he did in small doses last season. Emari Demercado has many fans in the building. DeeJay Dallas is a special teams ace. Tony Jones Jr. and Hassan Hall are at least worthy of a mention. Sunday will be a prime opportunity for Benson to lock up the RB2 spot after an impressive showing last week against the Indianapolis Colts. - Kevin Hicks

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Cameron Thomas

Cardinals defensive lineman Cameron Thomas (97) tries to shed a block and put pressure on Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) during a game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

A third round selection from 2022, Thomas has taken a while to come on for the Cardinals. He has yet to play more than 355 defensive snaps in a season and his only sacks came his rookie year with three in 2022. Only racking up 3 sacks and 26 total tackles in two seasons means that Thomas is playing on borrowed time in Arizona as they search for consistent players that put together a reasonable level of production. Although his time so far has been lackluster, Thomas has flashed a few times so far this preseason including two sacks against Indianapolis last week. He will need to continue to show improvement in the last preseason matchup of the year. - Kyler Burd 

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Clayton Tune

Aug 17, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Clayton Tune (15) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

There has been quite the division among Cardinals fans about Tune - it's likely that Arizona knows how they feel about them. Still, a strong finale for Tune, who has done decently well (not great mind you) this far, would go a long way in securing the backup role (also making fans happy). If he does not, and Desmond Ridder continues his underwhelming play - things could become very interesting on Monday morning. (My prediction is that we could see a Cleveland backup added for the second straight year in this scenario). - Jack London

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Desmond Ridder

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder (19) 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

Ridder is facing a do-or-die situation this weekend in Denver. After being traded to the Cards this offseason from the Falcons, Ridder faced a career crossroads to prove he belongs in the league in some capacity and his bets chances at sticking are to be a backup. However, Ridder has been outplayed by the aforementioned Tune at every turn. Ridder will need to severely outshine Tune in his final preseason game to try and keep his hopes of making Arizona’s roster alive. At worst, he’ll need to prove to other teams he’s worth getting picked up should nothing go his way by the end of exhibition games. - Richie Bradshaw