THE STORY: When the Cardinals drafted Jordan Burch last April, outside linebacker Xavier Thomas said it was a dream come true, given that the outside linebackers were high school teammates back in Florence, South Carolina.
Moments like the one they made on Saturday during the 20-10 win against the Raiders at State Farm Stadium are what they had envisioned when they were teenagers. Off the edge, Burch strip-sacked Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell and Thomas jumped on the loose football to put the Cardinals in scoring position for a touchdown.
"It's like a movie, honestly," Thomas said. "When you sit back and look at in and the way we do get to play together and making plays like that together, it really is a dream come true. Just two kids from a small town like Florence, it means a lot."
It was a crucial outing for Thomas, who is battling to find a spot on the 53-man roster. He finished the preseason finale with the aforementioned fumble recovery, two sacks, and five tackles.
It had been a quiet training camp for Thomas. The second-year pass rusher had mostly taken third-team reps, playing late into the fourth quarter in each preseason game. The additions of Burch and Josh Sweat, coupled together with the investments into Zaven Collins and Baron Browning had pushed Thomas' name further back in the line.
"I've been feeling the pressure all of camp, ever since OTAs," Thomas said. "It's a completely different room than last year when I came in and it's a lot more talent and more veterans. You have to step up your game in a lot of different ways."
Because of that, Thomas said there wasn't any additional pressure against the Raiders. "I left it all out there," he said.
Over the next few days, Thomas will be one of the many who will wait to find out their roster fate. The Cardinals must trim down the roster to 53 players by 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Saturday night's game was the final opportunity to make an impression on coach Jonathan Gannon and GM Monti Ossenfort.
"It's the tough part of the job," Gannon said. "They've been going at it for a month. They made a lot of sacrifices. They battled, they play nicked, bruised, hurt, and I'm proud of them because they are all team guys, so that's cool."
One of the biggest changes Gannon made during this camp was playing key contributors, especially the rookies, during the preseason. Rookies didn't play enough the past two seasons in a decision he had made with the coordinators and "it was probably a mistake by me, truthfully."
Cornerback Will Johnson played into the second quarter. Linebacker Cody Simon earned a lot of reps on Saturday as the green dot. Burch, who has had an impressive preseason as a rookie, had two tackles for loss.
"I think it's the work," Burch said. "(Outside linebackers coach Matt Feeney) really hones in on different things that I could do to get to the quarterback and just being able to go out there and do it."
Clayton Tune is another player on the bubble. Tune played every snap against the Raiders with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett joining starter Kyler Murray on the sideline. Tune finished 12-of-20 for 83 yards. He also ran for 48 yards. Wide receiver Simi Fehoko's touchdown reception was his second in as many weeks.
Las Vegas had both their offensive and defensive starters play a drive. Defensive end Maxx Crosby had a tackle for loss and forced a three-and-out. Offensively, Geno Smith targeted rookie cornerback Denzel Burke three different times on the opening drive. Burke had a defensive pass interference called and gave up a touchdown to Dont'e Thornton Jr.
The Cardinals finished the preseason at 2-1.
TURNING POINT: After a 26-yard pass from Tune to tight end Josiah Deguara, running back Bam Knight broke free for a 67-yard touchdown run. The 93-yard scoring drive in three plays gave the Cardinals the lead heading into the fourth quarter. Knight's rush was the biggest explosive of the preseason for the Cardinals. James Conner and the rest of the running back room were the first to celebrate with Knight on the sidelines.
HEALTH UPDATE: Burch remained in pads during the second half despite only playing in the first half. Cornerback Jaylon Jones left in the third quarter to be checked for a concussion after taking a blow to the nose. Gannon said Jones is doing fine.
