Who’s going to be Cards’ No. 2 WR?
Remember those old cartoons where Wile E. Coyote is running along, and he darts right off the edge of a canyon? He looks down, realizes he’s standing in midair and plummets to the bottom.
Almost reminds you of the drop-off in production between Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals’ No. 2 wide receiver in recent years.
There’s plenty of factors. Play calling. Blocking. Injuries. You name it. But for the offense to have the kind of balance that will help Arizona get through a grueling regular-season schedule with more wins than losses for the first time since 2015, it’s going to have to improve.
Several players have stood out so far in training camp, and with the Los Angeles Chargers coming to town Saturday night in the season’s first preseason game, it gives us a chance to evaluate and seek an answer to an annual question: Who’s No. 2 opposite one of the greatest pass catchers of all time?
Reliability
To start the process, let’s first consider what the position calls for. Speed? Agility? Shiftiness?
“The first word that came to mind is ‘reliable,’” backup quarterback Mike Glennon said. “Larry’s, obviously, a huge part of our offense, and he’s going to gain a lot of attention from the defense. That Number 2 guy has got to be someone that Sam (Bradford) can rely on to be in the right spot, do the right thing. I think we have a bunch of guys who are competing for that, and they’re doing a good job so far.”
J.J. Nelson agreed consistency is key, but added “getting the playbook down” and being able to identify and respond to defensive schemes.
“If you don’t know the playbook, they’re not going to put you out there,” he said. “… Not fooling the quarterback, that’s the main thing that they tell us.”
Coverages such as “2 man, cover 2, zones, man … kinda dictate what route you run, your depth,” he said. “… If you’re on the same page, big things can happen.”
Separation
Make no mistake, the job is wide open. Even if Brice Butler’s name is on the depth chart across from Fitzgerald.
“I wouldn’t say that he’s leading the pack,” Cardinals coach Steve Wilks said. “… We had to put someone down at Number 2, and that’s what we did. But all those guys, as you’ve seen the last couple of days and throughout the week, they’ve been rotating in and out with the ones, so it’s just really a piece of paper.”
Wilks wants to see his guys earn playing time.
“Across the board, I like to see that (separation),” he said. “But definitely with that particular group of receivers, there’s a lot of talented guys there that are doing well. You’d like to see someone step up and separate themselves, whoever it may be. Whether it’s Greg Little and on and on.”
The contenders
Little’s a name that Wilks has been dropping throughout camp. The former second-round pick hasn’t caught a pass since 2014. But he’s turned a minicamp tryout into first-team reps. Glennon likes him.
“He just seems hungry,” Glennon said. “A guy that’s been out, and now he’s back in, and it seems like he doesn’t want to let that opportunity go. ... I’ve been very impressed with him to come in and play like he has.”
He likes Butler, too.
“When I say the word ‘reliable,’ he’s a veteran guy,” Glennon said. “He’s been around. You can see his experience and his kind of veteran savvy. He’s been there. He knows how to run routes.” And Christian Kirk.
“You can see why he was drafted where he was,” Glennon said. “The first thing would be his speed and explosiveness.”
And Nelson.
“Another burner,” Glennon said. “… Maybe the fastest guy I’ve played with. You can feel his speed, and you can tell the defense respects his speed when he lines up.”
Glennon didn’t make any predictions about who would win the job. And it’s too soon for the coaches to get too far into the evaluation process. Wilks is right to let this and all other position battles play out.
Expect the dozen wideouts on the roster now to whittle to six by Week 1. Fitzgerald, Butler, Nelson and Kirk should be locks. Chad Williams (who has missed practice with knee tendinitis) is high on the depth chart.
That leaves Little, Carlton Agudosi – a practice squad guy last year – ASU product Rashad Ross and a cluster of rookies, including Trent Sherfield fighting for one spot.
The early guess here is that Little earns the roster spot and pushes Butler for the No. 2 job.
We’ll start to see what’s what against the Chargers.