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Bethel: I think I should start at CB

Really, it's no surprise. A player is asked if he should start. He's going to say yes. That's what Justin Bethel did Tuesday, when asked on the NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" show if he should start at cornerback for the Cardinals this season.

"Yes, I think so," Bethel replied.

"That was my mindset going into this past season," Bethel said. "Even when I did get hurt, I thought I was going to be back soon enough to get a chance to (be the starter), and obviously a couple of setbacks and that wasn't the case."

Bethel had a foot injury that kept him out the entirety of the offseason, and part of camp. It bothered him most of the season, although Bethel was back to feeling like himself in the last couple of games.

"At the end of the season, seeing myself being able to go out there and making plays kind of showed me, 'OK, you're getting back to where you need to be,' " Bethel said.

What will be interesting is whether he gets that chance. The Cardinals are trying to figure out what to do with that starting cornerback job opposite Patrick Peterson. The draft is deep in cornerbacks. And Bethel, even with the injuries, hasn't been able to consistently show himself at cornerback (Bethel played there a chunk at the end of 2015 after Jerraud Powers was hurt). Coach Bruce Arians did praise Bethel at the Combine, noting he played better after "I said what I said" (the infamous "failure-in-progress" comment). Bethel, with a $4.75M salary, is paid like a No. 2 starting cornerback. He's earned that money as a Pro Bowl special teamer too, but it'll be an interesting story to watch -- again, with such a deep CB draft class.

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