As the Cardinals finished off their preseason game in Denver, there was concern over the internets. With the starters(-plus) sitting out, seeing the team's deeper regions of the roster struggle mightily caught the attention of many.

The reality is that, barring a rash of injuries, depth is only going to get tested here and there, and backups -- some of which will inevitably play necessarily -- will still line up alongside most the guys that have earned starting roles. A preseason blowout with no starters playing should not be overanalyzed.

But coach Jonathan Gannon isn't naive either. As the Cardinals head into the final preseason game against the Raiders and the cuts to 53 that come Tuesday, the roster isn't going to be as deep as he wants it everywhere he wants it. No team's roster will.

"I like it in a lot of spots but I don't know if there is anybody that feels great about their depth throughout the whole team," Gannon said. "What you are trying to get accomplished is improvement of players every day so when they go in – because roles change for a multitude of reasons – they can play winning football for you. So if you're looking ahead, looking behind, it does them no good. They should be concentrating on improving their game."

-- One more caveat to the cuts that are coming. The Cardinals have 91 players right now, although we will take off international offensive lineman Roy Mbaeteka because he will be the exempt 17th practice squad player. That means the Cardinals have 69 spots (53 regular roster, 16 practice squad) and 90 players to fill them.

There is a chance maybe one waiver claim could end up on the 53-man roster (but choosing 16th in the order, it could be none.) I'd think about 13 or 14 of the players for the practice squad will be guys who will be on the roster now and brought back immediately. So many of these guys will still be around.

One more point that is always relevant this time of year. When we are talking about the guys from, say 48 through 53 on the roster, it isn't just, for example, Joey Blount vs Kitan Crawford at safety. It's Blount v Crawford v Darren Hall v Michael Carter v Owen Pappoe v Josh Fryar v etc., etc. At the end of the roster, it's weighing guys against each other even if they don't play the same position. Special teams, future potential, and stuff like that goes into the mix.

With all that, I'm not doing a 53-man roster prediction, but here are some of the places I think* remain intriguing for the final decisions. (*"think" as in, my opinion and I could be way off base. That isn't unheard of.)

-- Defensive line: After all this, it looks -- going into the Raiders game -- that decisions that could've been hard might be made for the Cardinals, at least going into the season. Justin Jones hasn't practiced since the first week of camp, and Walter Nolen III and Bilal Nichols haven't practiced at all. It puts PJ Mustipher in a good place at least for the initial roster. What the team does with all the injured guys will be something to watch.

-- Inside linebacker: Gannon himself called this a position (beyond Mack Wilson Sr.) he is watching. His comments about Akeem Davis-Gaither made it sound like, while ADG is still fighting for a defensive role, he'll be on the team regardless because of special teams. He also said rookie Cody Simon is playing faster and more comfortable. Where does that leave Pappoe and/or Mykal Walker?

-- Cornerback: It's been interesting to see rookie Denzel Burke get so much playing time in the preseason, more than Kei'Trel Clark (about whom Gannon said the last month is "probably the best he has played.") and more than Elijah Jones. We know the top three are Garrett Williams, Max Melton and Will Johnson. Beyond that?

-- Backup offensive line: Kelvin Beachum is going to be your swing tackle, and once healthy, Will Hernandez is either going to be your backup guard or bump one of the current starters to that role. So you know (and yes, Hernandez has to be active first) that top seven. Beyond that? Jon Gaines II gets a lot of praise from Gannon for his intelligence and his makeup. I think he's in, as a guy who can be center or guard. How many OL do they keep? And how bad are the knee injuries for Christian Jones and Hayden Conner?

We are in the final stages. See you Saturday.