What We Learned From Cardinals vs Saints

There were several positive takeaways despite the loss on Saturday night for the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder (15) runs with the ball during a preseason game on Aug. 10, 2024 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. / Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Any preseason takeaways need to be taken with a grain of salt, as most Arizona Cardinals fans know.

Teams won't reveal a good bit of their playbook, backups are playing most of the snaps, and some teammates are getting used to sharing the field with each other for the first time.

That being said, there are still a few things Cardinals fans can take away from this game - good and bad:

Darius Robinson Looked Very Good

Darius Robinson continued his good camp in the first game against the Saints. He may not show up on the stat sheet (he had only 1 tackle), but his presence was felt.

Rewatching the game and you could certainly make the case Darius Robinson was the Arizona Cardinals best player against the Saints.

On either side of the football.

— Johnny Venerable (@JohnnyVenerable) August 11, 2024

So Did the Defense, as a Whole

Holding Derek Carr and company to 18 yards in 9 plays? With their (mostly) backup defense? Jonathan Gannon and company have a plan on defense it seems.

The Offensive Line... Not As Much

Arizona played mostly the backups but they didn't give Desmond Ridder a great pocket in the first half unfortunately:

This offensive line the #AZCardinals are playing with right now is ... not having a good night so far.

— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) August 11, 2024

The QB Battle Is Not Over

Great offensive line play or not, Desmond Ridder did not look great in what was an extended time in the first half.

Granted, New Orleans did play their starters for some time against mostly backups, but being sacked twice and having under 50 yards passing (despite the rushing yards) isn't what most Cardinals fans were hoping for to solidify the backup spot.

Not to mention the two failed fourth down attempts and the missed TD pass.

Arizona Cardinals first half:

27 plays
4 first downs
0 points

11 Desmond Ridder dropbacks
4 completions
4.8 YPA
2 sacks taken
-0.39 EPA/dropback

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 11, 2024

Clayton Tune, on the other hand, promptly led a touchdown drive to start the second half. He has earned the right to play in the first half against the Colts as he clearly looked the better of the two.

Starling Thomas V is - at Minimum - Making This Team

With a couple of pass breakups and solid coverage - Starling Thomas is proving any doubters wrong. He may not see a ton of time in the season, but it's comforting knowing he's seemed to take the next step should Arizona have an injury at the position - if he doesn't emerge as a starter ahead of Max Melton.

Xavier Thomas Might be a Reason Arizona Doesn't Sign a Pass Rusher

Xavier Thomas had the Cardinals' only sack (though one wonders what the left tackle was doing), and created some good pressure throughout his time on the field.

Jonathan Gannon certainly noticed:

Gannon praised rookie edge Xavier Thomas more than any other player postgame:

"I thought he played high, high motor. High effort. Which was really good to see. I saw a violent edge out there and he rushed pretty good. He was definitely back around the mix, caught my eye."

— Theo Mackie (@theo_mackie) August 11, 2024

Does this mean they don't sign a free agent (like Carl Lawson)? Likely not, as the pass rush still needs some depth. But it does give Cardinals fans some hope after the BJ Ojulari injury.

The Cardinals Might Have to Keep 5 RBs

Michael Carter being listed as the fifth string running back caught a few eyeballs from diehard fans, but he certainly made his case to not only be on the team, but to receive significant playing time. His touchdown to start the second half was the exact kind of juice they need throughout the season.