The Arizona Cardinals lost their preseason opener on Saturday night 16-14 to the New Orleans Saints on a last-second field goal. The final score ultimately doesn’t matter much because the game was decided by players who are fighting for just a spot on the roster and many who will not play football in 2024 after final cuts.
What matters are the individual performances within their roles. Some players helped their stock.
A few players hurt their stock. In particular, these four players did.
QB Desmond Ridder
Ridder didn’t look great in training camp and that continued against the Saints. In fairness, he was playing behind a second-string offensive line and with second-string skill players against the Saints’ starters to start the game, but he struggled.
He completed only 4-of-9 passes for 43 yards. He was sacked twice. Gannon put some of that on the guys around him, as he was forced to get off his spot a lot.
The one thing he did was make plays with his legs, rushing five times for 38 yards.
WR Tejhaun Palmer
He finished the game with 13 yards on one reception. However, he dropped a pair and got away with a push off before one of the drops. He had the one catch on six targets.
The sixth-round pick already has a tough route to the roster. He didn’t help himself.
TE Blake Whiteheart
Whiteheart had two catches for 22 yards, including an 18-yard catch that was thrown beautifully by Tune. But he also had a ball he should have caught from Ridder for a big play that he let go between his hands.
OL Isaiah Adams
Adams played a lot at left guard. He isn’t really in any danger of not making the team, but a pair of plays hurt him. He was blown by once by a defender, giving up a sack, and he was penalized for holding down the field, negating the 25-yard run that running back DeeJay Dallas had.
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.
