Bolden Isn't Thinking About Competition

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr. has been focusing on getting better every day during the summer.

Chatter surrounding the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver battle for the No. 5 spot on the roster has been about former second-round pick Andy Isabella and training camp standout Greg Dortch. There hasn't been much talk concerning Victor Bolden Jr., who's also vying for the opportunity.

Bolden, 27, was signed by the Cardinals a few days after training camp started. That was after playing with the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL for three months. The Stallions ended up winning the league championship and Bolden was given the MVP award of the championship game for his efforts.

But before playing in the USFL, Bolden made several stops in the NFL. The 5-foot-8, 178-pound Bolden signed with the 49ers as an undrafted rookie in 2017 and spent time with the Bills and Lions. He's recorded one career NFL catch and 512 kick-returning yards.

The journeyman hasn't played in an NFL game since 2018, but is ready for the task at hand.

"It's been a process to get here," Bolden told reporters Tuesday. "But I'm thankful to be able to get the opportunity to come back to the NFL and show what I can do. I'm confident in my abilities."

Bolden had five catches for a team-high 66 yards in the Cardinals' preseason loss to the Ravens Sunday night. The results have been easier for Bolden due to the amount of experience he has under his belt.

He said, "I think that the experience I've gained throughout the years has helped me for this camp and just going to continue to use that to make plays and help this team."

There was a time when Bolden almost left the game. But his young son has motivated him to continue his football goals.

"I have a young son. It was that crunch time to start providing for him. So, yeah, I was considering (giving up). I just knew that if I continue to do what I do, good things (can) happen. So I just got to keep stacking these days and keep helping this tape," Bolden said.

Bolden took on the opportunity to join the USFL in 2022 and saw an impact. He had 42 catches for 415 yards in nine games with Birmingham. His 618 kick-return yards were fourth-most in the league, which led to him receiving a special teams All-USFL nod.

The Oregon State product had two goals in mind once he joined the USFL.

"The mindset was to go out there and win a (USFL) championship with those guys and get back to the NFL," Bolden said. "My goal was always to get back here."

It still won't be easy for Bolden to make the 53-man roster. Along with Isabella and Dortch, Bolden is also competing with Andre Bacciella, Jontre Kirklin and JaVonta Payton. 

The first four receiver spots for the Cardinals belong to Marquise Brown, A.J. Green, Rondale Moore and Antoine Wesley for the first six games of the season due to DeAndre Hopkins' suspension. That also presumes Wesley will be healthy by the beginning of the season.

That aspect doesn't affect Bolden, who's putting in the effort for head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

"I don't really think about the roster because I just think about coming out every day and putting out the best product I can put out," he said. "Whatever happens is going to happen. So just take it day by day and keep making plays."

Bolden survived the Cardinals trimming of the roster from 85 to 80 players on Tuesday. He'll have his final audition in the team's final preseason game against the Titans on Saturday. 

NFL rosters cut down their rosters to 53 players on Aug. 30 and then begin adding players the following day to the 16-person practice squad.