Linebacker Haason Reddick is among new players to watch as the Cardinals open training camp this weekend. Reddick was the 13th overall pick in the draft.
Reddick, Gabbert and Williams are intriguing additions
More than a third of the 89 players under contract to the Cardinals are in their first seasons with the team, which doesn’t make the Cardinals unusual by NFL standards. It’s a transient league in which players, coaches, and even general managers, seem to come and go like the wind.
The Cardinals weren’t big buyers in free agency this year, and the most intriguing new faces on the team are young ones.
There are 32 players in their first years with the team, so there are plenty of fresh storylines as training camp opens this weekend. Here are three of the more intriguing:
Can Haason Reddick play inside linebacker?
The Cardinals were thrilled when Reddick was available with the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, but they didn’t envision him filling this big a role early in the season.
Starter Deone Bucannon underwent ankle surgery and is questionable for the season opener on Sept. 10 against Detroit. So Reddick is in the starting lineup instead of beginning his career as a backup and situational pass rusher.
But it’s not as if Reddick was forced to move midway through August. While that’s an advantage, he does face a learning curve.
The Cardinals’ scheme isn’t simple to learn, and they blitz more than any team in the NFL. The downside to that is a blown assignment could lead to a big
play.
Reddick is one of the few players who will benefit from the Cardinals playing a fifth preseason game.
Reddick has other things working in his favor: his athleticism, coaching from assistant Larry Foote and mentoring by Karlos Dansby, who will be playing next to Reddick.
Can Blaine Gabbert insert himself in the team’s QB plan?
Coach Bruce Arians and his staff have liked what they’ve seen from Gabbert since the quarterback signed a one-year deal on May 11.
A first-round pick by the Jaguars in 2011, Gabbert is 9-31 as an NFL starter, and Arians initially was curious to learn whether Gabbert was damaged mentally by losing so much in six NFL seasons.
Arians said he noticed almost immediately that Gabbert’s confidence seemed intact.
Time will tell, of course, and Gabbert will get plenty of playing time in five preseason games.
It’s doubtful he can overtake Drew Stanton as the primary backup to Carson Palmer, because Arians loves and trusts Stanton.
An impressive preseason by Gabbert could change that thinking, or, at least, lead the Cardinals to believe Gabbert will have a role in the post-Palmer era, whenever that begins.
Or, Gabbert could flop and the Cardinals would continue their search.
Can receiver Chad Williams make an impact as a rookie?
If John Brown has returned to health and Jaron Brown is back from a knee injury, it will be difficult for a rookie to make an impact at receiver.
If the Browns falter, then the Cardinals will need Williams, their third-round pick, to come through.
Williams played at a small college, Grambling, and the transition to the NFL is difficult. Complicating the matter is the intricacy of the Cardinals' passing game, which makes considerable mental demands upon receivers.
Arians has a reputation as a quarterback whisperer, but he’s probably had more success identifying and developing receivers.
Is Williams the latest in a line that includes John Brown and J.J. Nelson of the Cardinals, T.Y. Hilton of the Colts and Antonio Brown of the Steelers?