Xavier Weaver looked down at his left arm and felt a shiver come across his body.
That's because he was reminded that he could do something he has not done yet in his young career.
"You just gave me goosebumps thinking about the first catch," the wide receiver said. "That's a dream come true for a lot of people."
While Weaver has been in the building since last season, joining the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent, he has not been utilized much within the offense. Dating back to 2024, Weaver has only been active in six games and has yet to record an offensive stat beyond his three targets.
That's likely to change this week. The Cardinals wide receiver room has been on the receiving end of multiple injuries. Zay Jones' season is over after he tore his Achilles and Simi Fehoko landed on Injured Reserve with an arm injury.
Plus, the Cardinals will be without Marvin Harrison Jr. for the foreseeable future after he had appendicitis surgery on Monday night.
The team also signed Andre Baccellia to the active roster from the practice squad.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a chance to start a game for Weav and Andre as undrafted guys," wide receiver Michael Wilson said. "I have a couple of friends that didn't make the NFL that would kill for an opportunity to start in an NFL game. Those guys know the importance of Sunday. They know the importance of what this could do for their family and for their legacy. It's just a big (opportunity)."
Weaver said he recognizes the opportunity that is in front of him yet can acknowledge that his NFL journey has been a bit of a rollercoaster. It was a transition going from being one of the top receivers on a high-profiled Colorado Buffaloes team to mostly a scout team player on the Cardinals. He said it was a challenging ride last year.
But this weekend, the trajectory is looking upwards.
"It's definitely different because you know you've got to be extra extra in your books," Weaver said. "But it's kind of the same way you prepare even when you're not playing. Our coaches instilled that into me because if you're in your book, you never know what can happen. It's a revolving door out here."
When asked if he needs to talk with Weaver or some of the other pass catchers further down on the depth chart about the magnitude of this moment, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said it doesn't need to be brought up.
However, it reminded him a bit of the emergence of their Pro Bowl target.
"Trey McBride did that in the first year we were here in a lot of ways," Petzing said. "Being in this league, always being ready for your opportunity and not knowing when it will come, you have to take advantage of that."
The idea that Weaver finds his name on the stat sheet this weekend is as likely as ever, although he didn't want to get too far ahead of himself.
More goosebumps might occur once the reception finally happens.
"I'm just trying to stay levelheaded and keep my excitement and my emotions down," Weaver said. "I just want to go out there and play and be free."
