In a quick callback to last week's mailbag, a co-worker of mine reminded me that CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie came on strong late in 2008 and in the postseason. Ken Whisenhunt wasn't a guy who liked to play rookies a ton, especially early, so it took a bit for DRC to get in there, but he did make a difference when it counted. Hopefully I have no further oversights in this week's mailbag. Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.
From Kiki W:
"Heyo! I read your article about Budda's leadership, and it made mention of how Garrett Williams is now also considered a veteran leader, amazing as that is so short into his NFL career. I also heard you ask JG about the young CB room with the loss of SMB. My question is whether you think the team will bring in a veteran CB to help fill the SMB oldhead void (I myself openly lobby for Stephon Gilmore). Or do you think the room is what it will be?"
Jonathan Gannon said he's comfortable with the room and that makes sense to me. You can't put as much draft capital into a single position as they have the past three seasons and not get to the point where you are willing to ride with that group. There will be bumps. Gannon said himself it's the bad reps that teach these guys the most. I think the front seven upgrades are going to help the secondary tremendously.
From Bryce B:
"Two of the starting positions with the biggest question marks going into the season are inside linebacker and guard. It seems as though Owen Pappoe and Jon Gaines II, both going into their third year, get very little mention in these position battles. Could either of these guys surprise and play a bigger role this season than expected?"
Yes, they can surprise. Not sure if they will. Gaines is an interesting case. If he is going to make a push for playing time, now is the time. There are certainly opportunities for both. If I had to handicap right now, your first-string guards are Evan Brown and Isaiah Adams. Gaines will get the chance to make a move. Pappoe's physical traits will always make him a good bet for special teams, but will he do enough to earn defensive snaps? Some of that will depend on what this defense looks like and how Nick Rallis deploys all these new pieces.
From John Tharp:
"Two unrelated questions from left field. With practices during the preseason and the regular season, how many practices is a team allowed to have with full pads with full contact? Also, on the Cardinals website I have noticed a pattern of several days may pass without a story being released, then four or five may be released in a span of two or three days. Is there a reason for this? Not complaining, just asking the why. Appreciate all you guys do!"
As to your padded practice questions, the following passages are directly from the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the players:
During the period between the mandatory reporting date for veteran players and the final day of preseason training camp, no Club may hold more than a total of sixteen padded practices.
During the regular season, padded practices for all players shall be limited to a total of fourteen, eleven of which must be held during the first eleven weeks of the regular season, and three of which must be held during the remaining six weeks of the regular season. The Club may choose the days of the week on which such practices shall be held. Subject to the foregoing rules, each Club may hold two padded practices during the same week during one week of the regular season, provided that such week falls within the first eleven weeks of the regular season.
As for the article/content cadence, it's a fair question. My background is journalism/newspapers. To me, some stuff can be held, but other stuff is newsy and needs to be posted right away. In season, there is always something going on. But this time of year, with access limited and not as much stuff going on, there will be dead times. If we were allowed to watch all the OTAs and comment on them, you'd probably see more stuff. Alas, that isn't the case. And we still do hold some things for a day or two to spread stuff out. We don't get much traffic on offseason weekend, so we aren't usually going to post Saturday or Sunday. Generally, I try not to let more than a day go by without posting. But it's fluid.
From John P:
"This is legit the dumbest question you'll ever get, but let me flesh this out. I'm worried about that new DL we just signed, Patrick Jenkins. Why you ask? Because he looks really good. Yeah I know he's an UDFA rookie for a reason, but his bowl tape is impressive. Along those same lines, I'm also worried about the UDFA NT we brought in, Elijah Simmons. Walter looks great but Simmons REALLY caught my eye. But if you have TOO much talent, you cannibalize opportunities and will hamstring your own growth. Our DL room is so stinkin deep (hooray Monti), I worry guys like those won't get enough opportunities and therefore wont grow."
Oh, John, I'm sure you could be dumber if you try. Do you want it bad enough?
In this case, I don't think the question is dumb as much as it is giving yourself anxiety when you don't need to. I hope Simmons turns out to be a diamond in the rough. Or Jenkins. But in reality, they went undrafted. Stars can emerge that way sure (we love Tony Jefferson around these parts) but the odds are against it. As it is, guys like Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson aren't gonna do much during OTAs. The reps will be there. At camp, may the best men win. That's what this is supposed to be about. You absolutely cannot be complaining about having potentially too many legit players to put on your roster. Trade one later, if you must. But collecting guys like this is the whole point.
From Nick V:
"Do you expect we carry three QBs on the roster this season? I've always felt it was a waste of a roster spot."
I would be surprised if there were three QBs on the 53-man roster. I'd expect Kyler and a backup, with a third quarterback on the practice squad. I asked Drew Petzing last week about the message to Clayton Tune once the Cardinals signed Jacoby Brissett; he said it wasn't much different than the one he gave Tune last year when the Cardinals traded for Desmond Ridder. In that case, Tune won the backup job, of course. He'll fight to do it again.
From Curtis Blunt:
"Pre-draft I was a staunch advocate of NOT taking a right tackle because we have Christian Jones on the roster. Does the not-drafting-a-RT suggest the team does view Christian Jones as the right tackle of the future, possibly 2026? Also, with the addition of Hayden Conner, do you think the team envisions a Hayden/Christian Texas Longhorns dominant right side of the line? It is cool the two already have chemistry working together out there."
I think it suggests that a) in 2025 they have enough at tackle with Paris, Jonah, Jones and Beachum and b) Jones has the tools to develop. I don't think it necessarily means any more than that right now. In a perfect world, yes, Conner and Jones develop into starters. That would be ideal given both were draft picks. But there are countless other ways it could play out and they know that.
From Elliot Hyde:
"Hi Darren. The 49ers get a lot of leeway for their form last season because of injuries. I'd have thought the Cardinals lost a similar number of starters, including the majority of the season for Darius Robinson. It's not like the Niners lost their QB for the season. Even with their best players available, I think the 2025 Cardinals should be slight favourites. What's your view? Do you think the 49ers get more grace than the rest of the division would?"
I'll be honest Elliot, I've been doing this too long to care, frankly, who the favorites (or favourites, from your neck of the globe) are at the moment. They will play on the field, including against each other twice. They get grace in part because they have a lot of good players and have proven they win a lot of games when healthy. The Cardinals still need to prove that, healthy or not. Once the playoffs start, no one is talking about if injuries kept someone out, or who the favorite was going into the thing.
From Jerry M:
"We've heard all kinds of good things about Harrison but what about his after the catch. He needs to get his elbows out nowhere everybody around him is and get yards after the catch. What's your opinion?"
OK, so I've read the question a few times and am not sure what "get his elbows out nowhere everybody around him is" means. Does he need to get more YAC? Yes. Larry Fitzgerald had the same issue coming into the NFL, and Todd Haley got him in a good place. Some of it could be helped by the routes MHJ runs, but some of it is on Harrison to embrace the YAC moment.
From James B:
"As much as we talk about last year's rookies making that second-year jump we need to remember the other teams are hoping for the same thing. So can the offense with basically the same offensive players back make that much of a difference than last year?"
I'm not sure what other teams' players necessarily has to do with the performance of the Cardinals' own players; it isn't like they cancel each other out playing mirroring positions every game. Yes, the Cardinals are hoping for some second-year jumps. But it's fair to expect a second-year jump of Marvin Harrison Jr. to make a bigger difference than, say, a second-year jump of Rabbit Taylor-Demerson. MHJ was a first-round pick after all. OK. The other part -- can the offense with basically the same players make a difference -- is another matter and a fair question. The Cardinals believe that it can, and you can argue the defensive upgrades will help the offense too. But like anything, they will have to do it on the field. There will be pressure, none moreso than on Harrison and Kyler Murray.
From Ken Maroney:
"In previous questions to you, I've made it known my lack of faith in our current OC. If you take the last two seasons and compare number of passes to RBs in the last 6 years, are we passing more or less to that position? IF we were to sign a veteran WR later, wouldn't speed be a huge consideration right in front of dependability? I am a huge supporter and believer that Murray is a top six QB at present, but he doesn't get much respect. In my opinion, the current teams with a mobile QB, game plan plays that suit the QB talents. Murray is a short QB and is always a threat to run so why not WAY WAY more roll out passes instead of pocket plays. Thank you for all your research and years of answering our questions."
Not sure what the running back question has to do with much, but ... the last two seasons, the Cardinals have targeted the running back an average of 89.5 times per season with 74.5 catches. In the four seasons pre-Petzing, the Cardinals averaged 104.8 targets and 82.5 receptions to the running back. Appreciate Zach Gershman for finding those numbers.
As for the wide receiver discussion, I think at this point if you are making a move it's someone dependable. Speed is nice, but down the list. Monti has said as much. Finally, in terms of rollouts, I could see more play-action perhaps? But straight rollouts, to me, mostly just cut the available field in half for the pass play and hem in the QB. I don't think "just roll him out more" is the panacea people think it is.
From Ben R:
"Hi Darren. Are there any starters who are not at OTAs? If so, who? It's voluntary, it's voluntary, it's voluntary. I'm still curious. I know we had near 100 percent attendance in the past, so just wondering how we're looking for 2025."
Here's the problem with talking about starters (and "starters" can be a flexible term, especially at, say, defensive line) who aren't here. There is a chance they could be in the building but rehabbing inside something and so no one sees them on the field. Or they aren't here. Jonathan Gannon is loathe to be specific. This is being published prior to the second open OTA, but at the first OTA we didn't see Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson and Josh Sweat. I don't think it's a big deal at all. (And again, it's one practice. They could've been out there the very next day.)
