The Arizona Cardinals kick off training camp officially on Wednesday, with players reporting to camp, getting their physical exams and running the conditioning test. Then the work begins for the final 53-man roster.
The Cardinals have several roster battles to watch. Some are for starting jobs. Which ones have the most intrigue as camp begins?
Starting center battle
Veteran center A.Q. Shipley has the clear lead right now. He returns from a torn ACL and the player who played every snap last year in his place, Mason Cole, is the competitor.
Cole has a streak of starting football games that dates back to high school. Could this be the year that streak is broken?
Starting CB to replace Patrick Peterson
If it weren’t for the coming six-game suspension of Patrick Peterson, there wouldn’t be much of a battle. Peterson and Robert Alford would be the starters. However, because Peterson will not be available for six weeks, Alford becomes the No. 1 and there is a battle for the No. 2 job. Right now, that battle is between veteran Tramaine Brock and second-round pick Byron Murphy.
Brock has played nine years in the league and started 45 games, and has been coached by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph twice. Murphy is a rookie with a lot of potential. Who will come out on top?
WR3, 4
Almost the entire wide receiver room is up for grabs. Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk are the clear top two but after that, it could go a lot of ways.
Second-round pick Andy Isabella is probably the favorite to be the team’s third receiver, but Kevin White, Hakeem Butler, Trent Sherfield and Chad Williams all are battling for that spot and the fourth spot as well.
The third receiver is likely to get a lot of playing time and the fourth guy as well will see snaps on offense in the regular season.
Starting defensive line
The starting defensive line is projected to be Darius Philon, Corey Peters and Rodney Gunter. However, keep an eye on third-round pick Zach Allen. Expected to contribute as a rookie and also graded as a first-round pick, Allen could push Gunter for the starting job.
Gunter had his best season in 2018 but in a 4-3 scheme. Before that, he was buried on the depth chart in a 3-4 except for his rookie year when he started at nose tackle after Peters tore his Achilles.
Gunter was re-signed to a modest $2 million contract. He is not being paid starter money. Keep an eye on that battle. Allen could make some noise.
Third-string QB
This isn’t really a battle for the 53-man roster, as the Cardinals will certainly only keep two quarterbacks on the active roster. However, they will have a third quarterback on the practice squad and there will be a battle between undrafted rookie Drew Anderson and Charles Kanoff, who was on the practice squad last year as an undrafted rookie.
Anderson ran an offense similar to what the Cardinals will run, so he might have the advantage over Kanoff.
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