Three Position Groups to Lookout for in Arizona’s Preseason Slate

The Arizona Cardinals 2025 preseason slate officially kicks off Saturday at home, as they prepare to host the Kansas City Chiefs. Following that, Arizona has its only away preseason game the Saturday following, as it heads to Denver to take on the Broncos. Then, the preseason wraps up back at home, with a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 23. With the depth charts beginning to take place, the preseason is always a great opportunity for players to make their case to be on the final 53-man roster. When it comes to specific position groups to lookout for this preseason, there are three groups that stand out the most as Arizona prepares to begin its 2025 campaign.

Wide Receiver

The lone offensive position group comes as one of the more vital position groups on the team, as the wide receiver group will be worth watching over the course of the preseason. While players like Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Zay Jones look to have the edge as the starting receivers on the depth chart, there is room for others to potentially get some more playing time as the preseason rolls on. Greg Dortch, Arizona’s gadget player, is perhaps the biggest name to watch, as he is currently slated to be the fourth receiver in the room, just barely missing out of a starting role. Dortch has already proven himself to be a threat all over the field, as he’s posted solid stats as a receiver, returner and rusher. Along with Dortch, receivers like Simi Fehoko, Xavier Weaver, Andre Baccellia, Tejhaun Palmer, Trishton Jackson, Bryson Green and Nate McCollum will all be looking to shine in the preseason, with hopes to make the final roster.

However, these receivers might have an increased chance to join the final roster, as injuries have started to affect the Cardinals receiver room. Wilson entered the concussion protocol after a collision in practice and newly acquired receiver Quez Watkins hit the injured reserve for an undisclosed injury that will keep him out for the entirety of the 2025 season. It is also worth noting that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray only connected with four wide receivers all of last season. Having more options to throw to can prove beneficial for this Arizona team.

Cornerback

Another position group to watch flashes over to the other side of the ball, with the cornerback group. Like the wide receiver room, injuries have already started to plague the room, as two starting cornerbacks in Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas V have already been ruled out for the season with knee injuries. It leaves the question of who can step up to be a key presence in the Cardinals defense going forward, as the preseason provides a great opportunity to find those caliber of players. As of the first, unofficial depth chart, Garrett Williams, Max Melton and rookie Will Johnson are all slated to be Arizona’s starting cornerbacks heading into the 2025 season. 

However, the cornerback room flashes a lot of inexperience, as some players are either entering their first professional seasons or are looking to get their first regular season action after bouncing around practice squads prior to joining the Cardinals. As previously mentioned, Johnson is coming in as a projected starter despite being drafted 47th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Denzel Burke, a slated backup, was also recently drafted by Arizona, as he went 147th overall in the same draft and Elijah Jones, who went 90th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft but missed the 2024 season due to an ankle injury, will be making their professional debuts as well. Other players such as Steven Gilmore, Ekow Boye-Doe and Keni-H Lovely will also be looking to get action after struggling to find spots on other NFL teams. While the Cardinals do have some backups with prior NFL experience in Kei’Trel Clark, Darren Hall and Jaylon Jones, there is still a lot left to be proven in this room as they prepare to begin the preseason.

Linebacker

The last position group that is worth keeping an eye out for is the linebacker group, as both the inside and outside linebackers have names to lookout for heading into the preseason. Starting with the inside linebacker group, Arizona currently has Mack Wilson Sr. and Akeem Davis-Gaither slated to begin the 2025 season as starters. Wilson Sr. enters his second season with the Cardinals, while Davis-Gaither comes in after spending five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. As for the backups, Owen Pappoe enters his third season with Arizona, while J.J. Russell, Mykal Walker and Vi Jones all come in after having prior NFL experience. Cody Simon also enters this list of backups, but will enter his first NFL season after being drafted 115th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The biggest question for this group is who will replace the production of former Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White, who was second on the team last season with 137 total tackles and third in solo tackles with 60. While it might be difficult for one single player to replicate this production, the preseason can help find certain players capable of making such an impact heading into the regular season.

Now as for the outside linebackers, this group will bring in a fresh face to help lead the Arizona defense, as Josh Sweat comes in after having a dominant 2.5 sack, six pressure performance to help lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. Sweat signed a four-year, $76.1 million contract with the Cardinals, as he rejoins former Philadelphia defensive coordinator and now-Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense. Zaven Collins, the Cardinals 2024 sack leader, will return as the opposite of Sweat for the outside linebackers. As for the backups, Arizona also returns Baron Browning, Xavier Thomas and BJ Ojulari, who looks to make his NFL debut after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. On top of that, the Cardinals drafted Jordan Burch 78th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft and also brought in Elliott Brown and Benton Whitley to round out the room. It will be intriguing to see which outside linebacker can breakout and help fuel the Arizona pass rush throughout the preseason.