Analyst: Cardinals Rookie Needs More Playing Time

The Arizona Cardinals should boost the snaps of their rookie safety, according to B/R.

Nov 3, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (42) against the Chicago Bears at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals still find themselves in the thick of a playoff race with just three weeks remaining after a crucial win over the New England Patriots in Week 15.

The Cardinals are 7-7 but still have some questions to answer on both sides of the ball in order to make a serious postseason push - and Bleacher Report believes their rookie safety can emerge as a solution to close the season, calling for Dadrion Taylor-Demerson to get more playing time:

"While the Cardinals still have an outside shot at making the playoffs, their postseason hopes are slim. It might be best to start seeing what the young players on the roster can do," wrote Matt Holder.

"Budda Baker is an impending free agent, so the front office could be looking for some safety help this offseason. In the meantime, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give Taylor-Demerson more reps to see if he can be a potential replacement for Baker. The rookie has played well on limited opportunities, racking up 25 total tackles on less than 200 snaps this season."

The good news for Arizona? PHNX's Craig Morgan is reporting the Cardinals and Baker are in contract talks, so the All-Pro may not be going anywhere after all.

However, fellow starting safety Jalen Thompson is only under contract through next season, and there's an out for the Cardinals after 2024 according to Spotrac - making it plausible that Taylor-Demerson could see the field as a full-time starter sooner as opposed to later.

Taylor-Demerson has started multiple games while Thompson was out due to injury, impressing Baker in the process.

“He was flying around the ball today, definitely something special. Of course, we miss JT (S Jalen Thompson), that's my dog. Rabbit (Taylor-Demerson) did a great job filling in. We always were looking at each other and (had) good communication, so it was definitely something special," Baker said.

"He did a great job, so I am very excited for his future.” 

Taylor-Demerson has played just 22% of snaps this season - we'll see if anything changes down the stretch in the desert.