It's the last week of the offseason. Minicamp is here. So too is another mailbag! Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial. The mailbags will keep coming even when the players get down time.
From James L:
"I saw that (Jacoby) Brissett and (Josh) Sweat reported to minicamp. Now what? Does that mean all is good? Was it just a I'm-just-here-so-I-won't-get-fined thing? I think both those guys are pretty important to what the Cardinals are supposed to do this season, and I'd like to think it's not going to get all sideways with them and the team."
I can't tell you if "all is good." No one has said anything on the subject specifically. I can say I had pleasant interactions with both on Monday, although my role doesn't allow for me to have much say in any of these matters. We will see in the two minicamp practices how much each does. I'll say this, it's a good sign they are at least here for mandatory stuff. It's when guys start skipping mandatory stuff that big problems arise. But the next touch point will be training camp. Like the players, the front office also gets their vacation right after minicamp, so I expect it to be pretty quiet for the next month.
From Colin M:
"I'm not certain if it's a foregone conclusion or not, but with the departure of Jalen Thompson, is the plan for Dadrion Taylor-Demerson to be the starting safety next to Budda? Or is there a competition there that we don't know about?"
At this point there is a competition but everyone *should* know about it. The Cardinals didn't sign veteran Andrew "Dewey" Wingard for funsies or even just for special teams. He has every intention of battling for that safety spot, and Rabbit won't just have it given to him. (The Cardinals also just signed veteran Isaiah Oliver, so another name to consider.) In a perfect world Rabbit wins the job. But he needs to win it to have it.
From Jayme C:
"Hi Darren, can you explain how Kyler Murray is considered a post-June 1 cut when he was released weeks ago and is already signed by the Vikings? Thanks."
Every team has the option to designate two players it releases prior to June 1 as a "June 1 cut." What does that mean exactly? It means that the club must carry the entirety of the dead cap hit from that player -- in this case, Kyler -- from the time they are cut until June 1, and then whatever relief they were in line to gain from being a "June 1 cut" they achieve on June 1.
In this case, Kyler's case, his 2026 cap hit was $51.7 million. Once June 1 arrived, that went down to about $46.6M. (It also means there will be about $7.2M in dead cap in 2027.) The Cardinals also got a $1.3M cap credit from Kyler signing with the Vikings for that amount, according to overthecap.com.
From Mike T:
"Hello Darren. With the latest trade the Rams are going all out for another run at the Super Bowl. This gives the Cards an opportunity to start Carson Beck at QB so they can determine if he's our next franchise QB? When would you start him to determine if he's the next Cardinal quarterback?"
I'll be honest I'm not sure how the Garrett trade dovetails with Beck playing time. I don't think it should. But in terms of Beck, I have said this many times already -- personally, I don't know if one year in the NFL, regardless of how many starts he gets, can determine for you if he should be your QB of the future. That's a pretty short runway for a rookie before you say yay or nah. Let's put it this way: you wouldn't do that at any other position.
From Elliot Hyde:
"Hi Darren, I wanted to respectfully disagree with your answer to my preseason question. I asserted that we might see Carson Beck play the majority of snaps in the preseason games. I don't have the snap count last year but looking at the QB stats, Murray, Brissett and Tune played Game 1, Brissett and Tune shared Game 2 before Tune played Game 3. If we have something similar, we might see Beck get a whole game as QB3, especially as there's four games to play."
You are assuming a) Kedon Slovis isn't used at all and b) a completely different offensive coaching staff is planning on the same preseason workload breakdown as the previous staff. Maybe Beck does get the most snaps. I don't think it's a lock.
From Kenyon Carlson:
"Why have the Cards moved on from having press conferences for all free agent visits, as they've had in the past? I thought that was a brilliant feature."
As a reporter, I too thought it was a brilliant feature. I'd have to look, but I also don't think the Cardinals have done that since ... 2005, maybe? Edgerrin James certainly didn't do one in 2006. But we can always fondly look back at Emmitt Smith getting everyone hype in 2003, or eventual excellent signing Bertrand Berry in 2004 saying he felt really good about coming in. But I believe 2004 was the last year it happened. I'm impressed it sticks with you. That's a long time ago.
From Jason W:
"Darren, what is going on with the Cardinals Underground lineup? Also, will coach LaFleur going allow cameras in the locker room after games. I know it is a personal decision for each coaching staff but it's nice for the fans to see the emotions that sometimes press conferences do not always show. Thank you for your time, have a great day!"
We've had some shuffling in the department and some roles have been moved to different people. It's Craig Grialou, Dani Sureck and myself on CU now and we are working to chemistry that pod up ASAP. As far as victory speeches, we will see what Mike LaFleur wants to do. You are correct, it's the coach's call. My fingers are crossed.
