Cardinals training camp: D-line competition will be stiff, difficult
Others, though, have intrigue.
Cardinals training camp position battle: Defensive line
The defensive line battle will be fun because it is loaded. Before camp started, there were eight players who should be on a roster — Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson, Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols, 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson, 2025 first-round pick Walter Nolen III, Dante Stills and L.J. Collier.
They will only keep six or seven.
Now, Nolen has a calf injury that will keep him out of most, if not all, of training camp, and he could start the season on PUP, and Nichols has not yet fully recovered from the neck injury he suffered last year. Maybe that is enough to make the roster formation easy.
As for playing time, the Cardinals love to rotate their players, so most will get to play. Campbell and Tomlinson will certainly start, as Campbell leads all NFL players with 242 career starts and Tomlinson has started all 125 games he has played in his career.
But who will be the third starter? Will it be Jones, signed last offseason and who has started every game he has played after his rookie season? Will it be Robinson?
Stills and Collier were the Cardinals' two most productive defensive linemen last year. Now they are the two at the bottom of the depth chart in the eight mentioned.
Will there be any room for undrafted rookie Elijah Simmons, who impressed in the spring?
Injuries have rocked the Cardinals' defensive line over the last several seasons. Ideally, it will be competition and not attrition that makes the decisions for the coaches.
But it is a group to watch during practices and the preseason.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: DL position battle will be intriguing to watch for Cardinals
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
They're Losing Their Vision. They Still Love Playing Tennis.
Sharon Murphy lived in a house full of books, and when her eyesight started to fail in her 70s, she had to make some changes. The books had to go, thousands of them. There were classes to attend: how to get around her apartment and the city, how to manage paperwork and use a computer. She went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a session that helps blind and visually impaired people appreciate the collection. There, she heard of something that stopped her: blind tennis. Really? Blind tennis? Ms. Murphy had never played tennis, or sports in general. But this piqued her curiosity. 'Tell me more,' she said. So on a Saturday morning this spring, she made her way to the Sound of Tennis, where blind and visually impaired players convene free of charge at Court 16, a tennis and pickleball club with three branches in New York City. For Ms. Murphy, 81, that first lesson offered more than just tennis. 'It opened a world of possibilities,' she said the other day, near her home on the Upper West Side. Ms. Murphy has a warm manner and lights up when she talks about her adventures on the court. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nike sues Edison Chen for breach of contract
15 Aug - It was reported that sports brand Nike USA is now suing Edison Chen and his company for a breach of contract. The company is seeking USD 126,615 from Edison and his company Juice Los Angeles, stating that they owe Nike that amount of money for goods and services that they provided to the company. It is noted that the amount was originally stated as USD 126,615,000, but was later amended as it was due to a clerical error. The lawsuit came after Edison announced his streetwear brand Clot's collaboration with Nike's rival, Adidas. However, it is noted that the new collaboration has nothing to do with Nike's filing of the lawsuit. It is noted that Edison's brand announced their cooperation with Adidas at Clot's spring 2024 show, stating that their new collection will be called Adidas Originals by Edison Chen. Both parties have made no comments regarding the said lawsuit. (Photo Source: Clot IG, Edison Chen IG)
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
How Rattler and Shough handled live pass rush will be another data point in Saints' QB competition
CARSON, Calif. — If there was one constant for New Orleans Saints quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough during their stay in Southern California, it was pressure. Not just the pressure of the competition to be the Saints' starter, but pressure from pass rushers of the two Los Angeles teams, first in a preseason loss to the Chargers on Sunday and again in a joint practice with the Rams on Thursday.
