TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals open the 2022 NFL regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 11 at State Farm Stadium.
There'll be some new faces after an offseason that saw a few high-profile exits. Marquise Brown complements a receiving corps that is deeper than it was last year but won't feature DeAndre Hopkins for the first six weeks while he serves a suspension for violating the NFL's performance enhancing drug policy.
There will be a handful of position battles at camp -- one of which could be center if Rodney Hudson doesn't play in 2022. Arizona will try to build a roster that can make amends for another late-season collapse and a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in their wild-card playoff game.
Here's a 53-man roster projection heading into the summer break:
QUARTERBACK (2): Kyler Murray, Colt McCoy
Will Kyler Murray be at training camp? That's the big question heading into the offseason. Will he be the Week 1 starter? Yes.
RUNNING BACK (4): James Conner, Eno Benjamin, Darrel Williams, Keaontay Ingram
Conner is the man this year. He'll handle the bulk of the workload with Chase Edmonds leaving Arizona in free agency. Benjamin has shined during the offseason and Williams gives Arizona another veteran presence in the room. Ingram, a rookie, has the size to get reps early.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, A.J. Green, Rondale Moore, Antoine Wesley, Greg Dortch
Hopkins won't be around the first six weeks of the season, so another body will likely be on the initial 53. Kingsbury is a believer in Wesley, and Dortch has continued to turn heads.
TIGHT END (3): Zach Ertz, Maxx Williams, Trey McBride
Williams' health will dictate his place on the roster to start the season, but Ertz and McBride are gimmes here. There could be four but at the expense of a spot at another position.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (10): D.J. Humphries, Justin Pugh, Rodney Hudson, Justin Murray, Kelvin Beachum, Josh Jones, Will Hernandez, Sean Harlow, Marquis Hayes, Eric Smith
The biggest question surrounding the Cardinals' offensive line is whether Hudson will report to training camp after an unexplained absence this summer. According to coach Kliff Kingsbury, he didn't participate in minicamp because of an unexcused absence. The bottom of the offensive line will be key for injury insurance.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (7): J.J. Watt, Zach Allen, Rashard Lawrence, Leki Fotu, Jonathan Ledbetter, Matt Dickerson, Kingsley Keke
Allen is healthier than he's been in a while and Watt looks to have recovered from his shoulder injury last season. Lawrence and Fotu are more experienced and Ledbetter, Dickerson and Keke complement a close defensive line unit.
LINEBACKER (10): Markus Golden, Dennis Gardeck, Devon Kennard, Victor Dimukeje, Cameron Thomas, Zaven Collins, Isaiah Simmons, Nick Vigil, Tanner Vallejo, Ezekiel Turner
There'll be a lot of pressure on the outside linebacker to make up for Chandler Jones' loss in free agency. Golden will be the anchor of the pass rush but the other outside linebackers will be rotating in, trying to find the hot hand. The inside linebackers will be under scrutiny all season after Collins' lackluster rookie season and with Simmons slowly coming into his own.
CORNERBACK (4): Byron Murphy, Marco Wilson, Breon Borders, Antonio Hamilton
This is a position where the Cardinals could take a look at other players between now and the start of Week 1.
SAFETY (4): Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Deionte Thompson, Charles Washington
Safety has been the Cardinals' most consistent group over the past few years. It's unlikely there'll be change here.
SPECIALIST (3): Matt Prater, P Andy Lee, LS Aaron Brewer
This trio is the definition of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.