GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals open the 2024 NFL regular season on the road against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 8 at Highmark Stadium.
The Cardinals continued to overhaul their roster but did it in a very strategic way, targeting specific positions like defensive line and cornerback during free agency and the draft. The result was a team that has filled in glaring holes from a year ago, with the expectation that those additions will translate to wins.
Not a lot of surprises showed up on the roster this year. There are some positions, like receiver, that could go with fewer or even more players than projected. But the two positions that'll have the most attention will be outside linebacker and cornerback.
Here is the 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Kyler Murray, Desmond Ridder
The Cardinals traded for Ridder, who'll replace Clayton Tune as Murray's backup, but Arizona won't carry three quarterbacks on game day. Tune may end up on the practice squad if the Cardinals feel comfortable enough that no other team will poach him but, at the very least, he'll be a roster player who won't get a jersey on game days.
RUNNING BACKS (4): James Conner, Trey Benson, Michael Carter, DeeJay Dallas
Drafting Benson likely meant the end of Emari Demercado's time with the Cardinals despite him putting in a string last season as the red-zone back. Conner will get the bulk of the touches, but Benson has the size and quickness to quickly become a No. 2 running back. Carter showed last year that he's quick and versatile, and Dallas was signed this offseason primarily as a special teamer.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zay Jones, Chris Moore, Zach Pascal.
The first five are fairly easy to project but after that there are a handful of options the Cardinals could keep as a sixth or seventh receiver including Jeff Smith, Xavier Weaver, Andre Baccellia, or Daniel Arias. Depending on what kind of camp rookie Tejhaun Palmer has, he could be another option or could end up on the practice squad.
TIGHT ENDS (4): Trey McBride, Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins, Travis Vokolek
This may be the Cardinals' strongest tight end room in recent memory. McBride is a star in the making. Reiman is a big, bruising rookie. Higgins is a smooth pass catcher. And Vokolek is a behemoth. Blake Whiteheart could make a case for that fourth tight end spot, but the player to watch is Bernhard Seikovits. The Austrian product is eligible to occupy the 17th practice squad spot that's reserved solely for international players, but if he's shown the type of growth Arizona wants, he could be on the roster Week 1.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Paris Johnson Jr., Will Hernandez, Hjalte Froholdt, Evan Brown, Jonah Williams, Christian Jones, Marquis Hayes, Kelvin Beachum, Isaiah Adams, Trystan Colon.
Arizona has plenty of versatility on its offensive line this season. Brown can play both guard positions and center. Hernandez can play either guard position and Beachum can play either tackle role. Hayes, a 2022 seventh-round pick, could get some reps for the first time in his career this season. Rookies Jones and Adams have the size to play at the NFL level but camp will decide whether they have what it takes to do the rest at this level.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols, Darius Robinson, Dante Stills, L.J. Collier, Roy Lopez
Arizona focused on upgrading its defensive front during free agency by signing Jones and Nichols, and then took it another step further by drafting Robinson with its second first-round pick. The changes should help the Cardinals get the necessary push up front to find the quarterback more than the 33 times they did a year ago, which was the Cardinals' lowest sack output since 2010.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (5): Zaven Collins, BJ Ojulari, Dennis Gardeck, Xavier Thomas, Jesse Luketa
This will be the most competitive position on the roster during training camp. There's an abundance of options at outside linebacker, but just two -- and very few times three -- will be on the field at the same time. Collins is in Year 2 of his transition to outside linebacker and Ojulari stood out during camp. Five may be too many for the Cardinals to keep but with the new kickoff rules, it wouldn't be surprising to see some outside linebackers pulling double duty.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (4): Kyzir White, Krys Barnes, Mack Wilson Sr., Owen Pappoe
White is back from injury and Wilson Sr. was signed this offseason, and coupled with a veteran in Barnes, the Cardinals have a savvy group of inside linebackers who can not only control a defense from the second level but also make plays sideline to sideline.
CORNERBACKS (5): Sean Murphy-Bunting, Garrett Williams, Starling Thomas V, Max Melton, Elijah Jones
Another position that'll have a lot of attention on it during training camp. The likes of Williams, Thomas, Melton and Jones will be duking it out during camp to earn a coveted starting role. Melton and Jones will have to get caught up to speed relatively quickly as rookies once the pads go on, but they have the talent to crack the rotation. Depending on how the cornerback and safety rooms play out, Williams' ability to double dip as a nickel could give defensive coordinator Nick Rallis some flexibility with who's on the field.
SAFETIES (4): Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Andre Chachere
Baker and Thompson continue to be one of the best safety duos in the NFL. They'll take the large majority of snaps and will be complemented by Chachere and Taylor-Demerson when Arizona uses three or four safeties, which will happen at times.
SPECIALISTS (3): K Matt Prater, P Blake Gillikin, LS Aaron Brewer
Arizona threw its support behind Gillikin with a two-year deal in March, and Prater is one of the best to ever do it. Even though Brewer will have some competition in camp, having a long relationship with Prater and special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers that dates back to their time in Denver will help him win that spot.