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Keim: A few spots left and CJ2K's place

Steve Keim figures there are four or five spots still left to be determined on the 53-man roster, with one preseason game left and the starters not playing Thursday. It seems that one would be at running back. It makes sense the Cardinals would only keep four running backs. David Johnson is in. Kerwynn Williams, as a back and return man, is in. (T.J. Logan will be going on injured reserve.) If you keep four, that would leave two spots for Chris Johnson, Andre Ellington and Elijhaa Penny. Penny, who is the only one of the three who plays special teams, seems to be trending as a guy who gets a spot. So does a final spot for to Johnson -- who fumbled twice Saturday before coming back with a couple of good runs -- or Ellington?

Keim, during an appearance on the "Doug and Wolf" show on Arizona Sports 98.7 Monday, kept it vague when talking about Johnson's situation. "I'm not going to critique Chris on the radio," Keim said. "The one thing I'll say is that he's a pro's pro, he gets it, and it's not just his performance in one preseason game that is going to make a difference. It's the body of work throughout camp that Coach and I will look at and we'll determine the best 53 and more importantly, who is really going to be active on game day?"

(Johnson, for his part, feels like after an offseason off, he is finally getting his game legs under him.)

-- The positions still most in the air, in Keim's eyes: Punter, a fourth outside linebacker, inside linebacker and offensive line depth. Cap Capi flashed as he tries to make a push for a final OLB spot, but the Cardinals may still be looking for a fourth guy who may not be on the roster. Jarvis Jones was supposed to be that guy but he's been hurt virtually all of camp.

-- Keim did say the third OLB spot deservedly goes to Kareem Martin. "There's no player who has worked harder this offseason than Kareem," Keim said, calling him the most improved of anyone on the roster.

-- Keim was happy to see John Brown play well. "We all know the player John Brown can be when he is healthy," Keim said. "He is a dynamic player who can create mismatches, which is something we desperately need from him." Keim added that Brown is a "very important part of this puzzle," singling out Smoke and Tyrann Mathieu as the guys who change field position.

-- Keim admitted he wasn't feeling great about Brandon Williams early in camp but that the second-year cornerback has completely changed his mind. "I feel like we have four solid corners, which is a sigh of relief," Keim said.

-- The wide receiver group responded to Bruce Arians tough words. Keim said that has shown not only on the field but "they got out of the training room," underscoring that Arians' frustration a couple weeks ago may have been a little bit less about play and more about availability.

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