Before the Denver Broncos face the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason finale on Sunday, we caught up with Jess Root of Cards Wire to learn more about Denver’s opponent and the preseason showdown. Check out our questions and Root’s answers below.
1. Should we expect to see any Cardinals starters on Sunday?
Not only should you not expect to see any starters other than the specialists, don’t expect to see any player who has already carved out a contributing role on offense or defense. This will be a game to give the back end of the roster game reps, give guys who aren’t going to make the team snaps to show other teams and to make final roster decisions.
2. Michael Ojemudia was picked by the Broncos in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft but didn’t pan out. How does he look in Arizona?
Sadly, Ojemudia has not been particularly notable. He will certainly play on Sunday but he he deep on the depth chart.
3. Who is an intriguing player on the Cards’ roster bubble that we should keep an eye on this week?
A guy who deserves to be on an NFL roster is running back Michael Carter. He has been great and has made plays in every opportunity, but there appear to already be four backs locked in on the roster. He should play well.
4. If you could steal one player from Denver and gift him to Arizona, who would you pick and why?
That obviously has to be Pat Surtain. What the Cardinals desperately need is a shutdown cornerback. They have young talent, but no alpha. Surtain would be a game changer.
5. Looking way too far ahead, the Broncos will face the Cardinals in 2026. What’s your way-too-early prediction for the kind of QB Bo Nix will be a few years into the future?
Perhaps the best description of Nix that I heard before the draft was that if you squint, you can kind of see Drew Brees, which is obviously why Sean Payton was so enamored with him. Truth be told, I’m not convinced that Payton is what he was in New Orleans and, with as long as Nix played in college, I don’t believe he will be more than a serviceable starter. I don’t think he will ever do more than show some Brees traits a few times over a season.
You can view our answers to Root’s questions on Cards Wire.
