TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals open the 2023 NFL regular season at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 10 at FedEx Field.
There will be some very tough decisions for the Cardinals' personnel department in the next few days, namely at outside linebacker and defensive line. But new general manager Monti Ossenfort deserves credit for building a roster that could be more competitive than most people think.
The one name who will get the most attention will be quarterback Kyler Murray as the wait continues for his return from ACL surgery on his right knee.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Cardinals:
QUARTERBACKS (3): Colt McCoy, Joshua Dobbs, Clayton Tune
It's unlikely Murray will be activated off the physically unable to perform list by Week 1. If that's the case, he won't be on the 53-man roster to start the season and will have to miss at least the first four games. Until he's back, McCoy is the presumptive starter and Dobbs was acquired to be an insurance policy for McCoy. Dobbs' experience with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will allow him to catch up on what Arizona is running quicker than if another quarterback had come in. With three quarterbacks now able to dress on Sundays, Tune will have to be at the ready.
RUNNING BACKS (3): James Conner, Keaontay Ingram, Corey Clement
Conner will be the Cardinals' lead back and Ingram will be the No. 2. Clement showed throughout camp and the preseason that he can spell either when needed.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, Zach Pascal, Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Andre Baccellia
Brown will assume the WR1 role (now that DeAndre Hopkins is gone) and will be part of a wide receivers room that has a lot of speed but not a lot of height. Wilson, the rookie out of Stanford, has impressed throughout the offseason and has been getting a significant amount of reps with the first team, which should help him be a factor on offense from the jump.
TIGHT ENDS (4): Zach Ertz, Trey McBride, Noah Togiai, Geoff Swaim
With the Cardinals using quite a bit of 12 personnel under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, the tight ends will be a key cog in Arizona's offense -- so carrying four isn't a wild idea. Ertz has been cleared to return from ACL surgery to his left knee last year but is coming along slowly and McBride has been hampered by injuries during camp. Togiai has been one of the surprises of camp and the preseason, playing well enough to earn a roster spot while Swaim has been steady and productive, as a veteran should be.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): D.J. Humphries, Will Hernandez, Hjalte Froholdt, Paris Johnson Jr., Jon Gaines II, Kelvin Beachum, Marquis Hayes, Dennis Daley, Elijah Wilkinson
We know what the starting offensive line will be: Humphries at left tackle, Wilkinson at left guard, Froholdt at center, Hernandez at right guard and Johnson, the first-round pick, at right tackle. Johnson has impressed throughout camp and plays at a level beyond his years. The rest of the offensive line room can play multiple positions and be assets when called upon. Injuries to Gaines and Daley during the third preseason game could impact how the OL room looks either in the short or long term.
DEFENSIVE LINE (7): Kevin Strong, Jonathan Ledbetter, Leki Fotu, Rashard Lawrence, Dante Stills, Carlos Watkins, L.J. Collier
This year's line has the kind of depth that can be used like a hockey team: Just waves of guys coming off the bench to refresh tired legs. This is also a position that could see an eighth player make the 53 if the numbers change at another position.
LINEBACKERS (10): Zaven Collins, Kyzir White, Cameron Thomas, BJ Ojulari, Dennis Gardeck, Krys Barnes, Josh Woods, Owen Pappoe, Zeke Turner, Jesse Luketa
This is going to be one of the hardest positions for the Cardinals to sort through. Do they keep three or four inside linebackers? With as deep of a group of outside linebackers as this team has had in a while, who makes the cut? Ojulari is still coming along slowly from a knee injury that required an operation but he's too risky to cut and try to sign to the practice squad because he won't last long there, but the likes of Victor Dimukeje and Jesse Luketa could easily make this roster.
CORNERBACKS (4): Marco Wilson, Christian Matthew, Antonio Hamilton, Kei'Trel Clark
Not much has changed at cornerback, except Clark started the second preseason game and is likely to be part of the conversation to start Week 1. Others, like Nate Hairston and Kris Boyd, could have a chance to make the 53 depending on how other positions play out.
SAFETIES (4): Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Andre Chachere, Kendell Brooks
With Simmons out of the picture now that he's been traded to the Giants, Arizona will look to fill the safety spot he left open with the likes of Chachere and Brooks, both of whom got a good number of snaps during the preseason.
SPECIALISTS (3): Matt Prater, Aaron Brewer, Nolan Cooney
Cooney beat out Matt Haack for the punter job, and will have Prater's and Brewer's experience to guide him through the season.