Training camp has arrived.
OK, not quite yet. The players report Wednesday, the first practice is Thursday, the first open practice to the public is Friday. It's Mike LaFleur's first season with a new offense and, as with the beginning of every season, new hope. Every team enters training camp with questions of varying impact, and the Cardinals are no different.
So every year, I take a look at the top questions (as I see them) for the Cardinals as they head into training camp. On Tuesday will come Part Two.
WHO IS QB1?
The quarterback, whomever it is, is always the story, whether it's an incumbent like Kurt Warner or Kyler Murray or a question -- like the Cardinals have this season. Jacoby Brissett remains the likely option, although his desire for an upgraded contract has fogged the runway. Veteran Gardner Minshew II took the first-team reps in the offseason, while Brissett stayed away, and is clearly an option. And who knows? Maybe Carson Beck can make a Russell Wilson-type preseason push for early playing time. However it filters out, this will be the most important part of the first training camp under LaFleur.
HOW DOES MIKE LAFLEUR'S FIRST YEAR TAKE SHAPE?
LaFleur has coached in the NFL for a long time. But until you are in the head coaching chair, you don't know everything about everything. That isn't unique to LaFleur, but that is the parallel tracks he must travel at State Farm Stadium, as the Cardinals prepare for the season while LaFleur learns some of the nuance of his job as he goes. Players have enjoyed working with LaFleur's enthusiasm and authenticity. But this is the work that will make the most difference for the season, and LaFleur's time to make his imprint.
WHAT IMPACT WILL JEREMIYAH LOVE MAKE AND WHAT WILL BE THE RB DEPTH CHART?
If you draft a running back third overall, he needs to be your bellcow. We'll see if that's what Jeremiyah Love becomes in September, or if the Cardinals' collection of veterans on the roster allows more of an ease-in path. Tyler Allgeier has shown his ability in the NFL -- he has a 1,000-yard season himself, as a rookie in 2022 -- and James Conner's resume speaks for itself. Conner and Trey Benson both need to prove they are healthy before they get in the mix, but they will be options. Still, it starts with Love, whose immense talent will allow him to run, to split out wide, and be a game-changer.
WILL MIKE LAFLEUR'S OFFENSE CLICK IMMEDIATELY?
As we've already noted, LaFleur has big-picture work to do as a new head coach. But there is also the next level down, with LaFleur installing his own offense and the Cardinals trying to play to their strengths: skill guys like McBride, Love, Wilson, Harrison. It's still about talent, and who the QB is and how the offensive line plays will matter greatly. But the stuff LaFleur will plan -- wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said LaFleur would get "spicy with the offense in a dope way" -- and the plays he will call will be something to watch.
HOW DOES MICHAEL WILSON FOLLOW UP?
There were circumstances, not the least of which that Marvin Harrison Jr. was injured much of the time, but there is nothing disputing how productive and eye-opening the final eight games of the 2025 season were for wide receiver Michael Wilson. In those eight games, Wilson had 56 catches for 775 yards and six touchdowns, numbers that would be remarkable if doubled through a 17-game season. It helped Wilson to reach his first 1,000-yard season, show everyone what he was capable of producing (as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract) and set himself up as a guy who could be WR1 for the Cardinals. He won't be sneaking up on anybody this season.
