L.J. Collier is still here. Signing in 2023 when Monti Ossenfort first arrived, he has inked four straight one-year contracts to cover his four years as a Cardinal. It's been a roller-coaster -- he played just one game in 2023 and four last season because of injuries -- but he had a solid season in 2024 and is off to another solid start as a depth piece again this year.
Sunday against the Broncos, with Walter Nolen III out, Collier set season-highs in snaps (36) and snap percentage (59), levels he hadn't hit since 2024.
Fellow defensive lineman Dante Stills also had season-highs in both categories, at 43 and 70.
Nose tackle Andrew Billings, active for only the second time this season, played 10 snaps.
Former Bronco Baron Browning played a season-high 51 percent of the snaps at outside linebacker, as did fellow OLB Jordan Burch. Burch had just played a season-low 28 percent last week.
Inside linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. has played 100 percent of the snaps in four straight games, while there has been a small shift at the other inside linebacker spot. Cody Simon is slowly getting more snaps -- he was up to 14 on Sunday -- while Jack Gibbens has had his snaps shrink a little each week, down to 41 from 49 the week previous.
With Max Melton out, both Denzel Burke and Kei'Trel Clark played most of the way (60 snaps each) at cornerback, and for Clark, he surpassed the total (56) he had been on the field the previous two games combined.
The offense had 81 snaps, second-most this season after the 87 they had in San Francisco.
At running back, Bam Knight had more snaps than Tyler Allgeier, 43 to 38, and they were the most snaps in a game since he had 47 in a 2022 game with the Jets.
Wide receiver Jalen Brooks played a season-high 52 snaps, the most he's had in a game since he played 56 for the Cowboys in 2024. That won't change, after Brooks announced on social media he is out for the season with a wrist injury.
Michael Wilson was in for the second-most snaps of his career (73), after playing 81 in San Francisco.
Tight end Trey McBride's 75 snaps were the third-most he's played ever.
