Sleepers to Watch at Cardinals Training Camp

The Arizona Cardinals are ready to put the pads on - here's who to watch.

Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Dante Stills (right) during minicamp at Dignity Health Training Center on June 11, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

As training camp continues, the staff of the Arizona Cardinals have one of their hardest jobs in front of them: Evaluating nearly 90 players and cutting that down to 53 before the start of the season.

Every year some players who seem to have an outside shot at making the final roster surprise during training camp and secure their shot at living their NFL dreams.

Six picks:

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Owen Pappoe - Linebacker

Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker Owen Pappoe (44) in the tunnel before game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Auburn product and 170th pick of the 2023 Draft, Pappoe saw limited playing time in his rookie season.

After surprising defensive star linebacker Kyzir White tore his bicep against Houston, Pappoe saw the field from Week 12 through the end of the season. During his 114 snaps, Pappoe tallied 6 solo tackles and 4 assisted, leaving a lot unknown about the future abilities of the young linebacker.

With his 4.39 speed, it is clear that coaches would love to have a coverage linebacker with the athletic ability to take on a variety of positions, but where he fits into the current linebacker depth chart is unclear.

Kyzir White will resume his role as MLB as he returns from injury and Krys Barnes will presumably battle with free agent addition Mack Wilson Sr. for playing time opposite White.

Pappoe provides good Special Teams work, so there will be a roster spot at the end of the day with his name on it, but with the amount of defensive rotation that Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis employ, I would expect them to find a way to utilize a unique skillset.

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Dante Stills/Roy Lopez - Defensive Line

Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Dante Stills (55) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

There is no doubt that the Cardinals' defensive line struggled in 2023. A string of early-season injuries doomed the position group to a seemingly unending rotation cycle trying to find something that worked.

In that chaos, two young defensive linemen shined a potential that was noticed by coaches and fans alike. Dante Stills, a 6th round pickup, and Roy Lopez, a waiver wire addition from Houston showed flashes in a very difficult situation.

Stills got regular work from Week 2 onward and ended the season playing over 500 defensive snaps. In those, he put together 20 pressures and 4 sacks.

Lopez had a slightly later start to the season, but still played 395 snaps and contributed 29 solo tackles and 13 assisted.

Both of the young players also avoided a common pitfall of players of their age and position and only counted for one penalty each.

While they played well in the situation in which they were thrust by circumstance, Lopez and Stills have much more competition this season with several free agent additions to the defensive line. Competing with veterans like Bilal Nichols, Khyiris Tonga, Justin Jones, and L.J. Collier makes it unlikely that both young players find spots on the active roster.

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Emari Demercado - Running Back

Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (31) against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Running back is a position where as much change as there has been, much has also stayed the same. James Conner is the undoubted RB1 after the first 1,000 yard season of his career, but there are now several other additions to the position room that change the roster building calculations.

In free agency, the Cardinals added DeeJay Dallas who is a rough size and play style equivalent for Demercado who provides the added benefit of proven high-level special teams play.

The mid-season waiver addition of Michael Carter still looms and on top of it all, the Cardinals added who many pundits considered a top five running back in the 2024 Draft, Trey Benson out of Florida State.

Demercado had very limited offensive snaps behind Conner and Carter last season, but in the 74 that he did have he showed some serious flashes. Of his 284 rushing yards, 205 were after contact and he finished 2023 with an elite 89.9 rushing grade from PFF.

One thing that is clear is that the team will not carry six running backs on the final 53-man roster. For context, the Cardinals entered the 2023 season with only three running backs on the active roster which is about the league average.

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Xavier Weaver - Wide Receiver

May 10, 2024; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Xavier Weaver (30) during rookie minicamp at the teams Tempe Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Weaver faces a similar problem to Demercado in many ways, yet he faces an even tougher situation as an unproven rookie with no NFL snaps to look back on.

A product of both South Florida and Colorado, Weaver had a good 2023 season with 908 yards on 68 receptions. He went undrafted but was snatched up in the first wave of undrafted rookies by the Cardinals after the close of the draft.

Generally, the road to a 53-man roster for an undrafted player is rocky and uphill, but Demercado and fan favorite Greg Dortch are just some examples of that type of player who found a home in Arizona.

Unfortunately for Weaver there is a huge amount of competition in a wide receiver room that currently numbers 12 players.

Last year, the Cardinals kept six receivers on the active roster and will most likely look to do the same this season, meaning only the top half of the current receivers will be seeing the field in 2024.

Whether or not Weaver can fight his way into those ranks against the likes of Zay Jones, Zach Pascal, Chris Moore, Andre Baccellia, and Daniel Arias will be something to watch during training camp.

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Kei'Trel Clark - Cornerback

October 15, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Kei'Trel Clark (13) before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Last, but certainly not least, is a second-year cornerback who did see the field in spurts last season but has a lot to prove in a new-look Cardinals secondary.

Facing a serious lack of depth and talent in the cornerback room in 2023, Clark was thrown into the deep end opposite Marco Wilson to begin the season. The first six weeks of the season showed the entire gamut of rookie cornerback experiences in the NFL with its share of highs and lows.

In 464 snaps, Clark allowed 29 receptions on 40 targets for an average of 11.8 yards per reception. Still, he only allowed 2 touchdowns compared to the 5 from Wilson, and had games like Week 12 where he held Matthew Stafford to a 56.3 quarterback rating.

Clark's problem is that the Cardinals added a good number of new faces to the cornerback room this offseason. Most notably, former Tampa Bay and Tennessee CB Sean Murphy-Bunting in free agency as well as Max Melton and Elijah Jones in the draft.

Melton and Murphy-Bunting seem poised to claim the outside cornerback roles while fellow 2023 draftee Garrett Williams looks to build on his late season success in the slot. Starling Thomas V also saw increased action from Week 7 on last season and built a great deal of coach trust during that stint.

With 11 players vying for what is probably only 5 spots on the active roster, Clark is on the outside looking in at the moment. It would take an incredible training camp to change his fate, however, he seems like a prime candidate for a practice squad spot and a possible call-up for the 2024 season.