The Arizona Cardinals are expected to use receivers a lot in their offense. The belief is there will be three or four on the field consistently, so they could keep more than many teams normally would on the roster.
Exactly how many will that be?
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury wouldn’t pin down an exact number but did give an estimation on Tuesday.
“I’m not sure. I think six, seven — somewhere in there,” Kingsbury said after practice. “I think it depends on how guys perform the last three weeks and what they can do in other areas, so we’ll see how that plays out.”
Special teams contributions will be key. Players like Damiere Byrd or Pharoh Cooper could be returners. Trent Sherfield plays on special teams. Andy Isabella could return punts. So could Christian Kirk.
Larry Fitzgerald and Kirk will make the team. The three draft picks (Isabella, Hakeem Butler and KeeSean Johnson) are expected to make the team. Trent Sherfield looks like a lock right now. That is six.
A seventh could be Byrd or Cooper, or someone they sign off the streets.
Keep an eye on the return game. How that battle plays out might determine whether it is Cooper, Byrd or someone not currently on the roster fills that seventh spot or whether they use the roster spot on another position.
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