Arizona Cardinals' approach to player playing time driven by matchups, weekly effort
While no top football decision-maker has clearly said as much, it feels like the Arizona Cardinals are evaluating their roster every week in the season.
In doing so, players who might have played a lot one week have had their snaps drastically reduced, and vice versa, a player who played sparingly has suddenly been elevated to more snaps and a larger role.
How else to explain how rookie Kei'Trel Clark went from Week 1 starter at cornerback and playing at least 97 percent of all defensive snaps in each of the first four games of the season, to gradually diminished action and then last week in Seattle, not even getting on the field? Or left guard Trystan Colón going from three special teams snaps against the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago to playing all 66 snaps as the starting left guard last week?
With Colón, starter Elijah Wilkinson was inactive due to injury. But Dennis Daley is listed as the backup on the official team depth chart to Wilkinson, and Colón is the backup center to Hjalte Froholdt.
"It's been great. Obviously just the guys, teammates, coaches all helping me out just getting me prepared and ready to go and trying to take advantage of any opportunity that comes my way," Colón said. He'd come in for Wilkinson for a couple of series in previous games.
Colón had made four previous starts over his four-year career, all with the Baltimore Ravens.
Two games ago, with the Cardinals going to a running back-by-committee approach against the Rams, second-year pro Keaontay Ingram led the backfield with 10 carries. Last week at Seattle, he didn't get an offensive touch and played nine snaps, all on special teams.
Emari Demercado was the lead running back, and the Cardinals getting long looks at both with James Conner on injured reserve.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said playing time decisions and amount of playing time are partly driven by matchups with the opposing team, or simply by a player outperforming a teammate at their position to earn the start and the snaps on game day.
"We're looking for consistency and playmaking and doing the right thing as much as you can. So we're not afraid to move some guys around here and there," Gannon said. "It's a highly competitive league and we're a highly competitive team. And that's just not going on Sunday. That's throughout the week, too."
While it may be tough to play a lot and then not so much from one week to the next for an individual player, the Cardinals are able to get a good look at whom they might want to keep on the roster going forward in the team's rebuild.
"They know that, you know, they have to maximize their reps on a daily basis. And that's how we evaluate them and that's how we improve them," Gannon said. "I think that we're psychologically trained as a group, as a team, to not let that affect them. They know they gotta get up, line up, play, and when their number is called, you gotta produce."
Rookie cornerback Starling Thomas V played all 60 defensive snaps at cornerback last Sunday in Seattle, with Clark not playing. Thomas had tight coverage on a touchdown pass to Seahawks wide receiver Jake Bobo that was originally ruled out of bounds and incomplete, but overturned to a score.
Thomas was part of an improved defensive effort as a whole from the Cardinals despite a 20-10 loss.
"It's part of the process really. I prepare every week like I'm gonna play," Thomas said. "I felt like I belonged out there the whole time."
In what might have been the most extreme case of heavy playing time to none, safety K'Von Wallace went from five straight games of every snap on defense to six special teams snaps at Seattle, with Pro Bowler Budda Baker back from injury. A few days later, Wallace was released by the Cardinals.
"The roles are something that's going to be changing week to week. You know, there's whether it's injuries or what the opponent does," defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said. "That's something that we assess kind of early in the week right now, and then we work throughout the week in practice."
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Injury report
Quarterback Kyler Murray was not listed on the injury report Thursday, a day after he was listed as a full participant in practice. He is eligible to be activated off the Reserve/Designated to Return list, although it would be a surprise if he plays Sunday against the Ravens.
Not practicing Thursday were linebacker Krys Barnes (hamstring), defensive lineman Kevin Strong (shoulder) and guard Elijah Wilkinson (neck). Listed as limited were safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring), cornerback Antonio Hamilton (groin) and receiver Zach Pascal (neck).
For the Ravens, safety Marcus Williams (hamstring) did not practice and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (shoulder), running back Keaton Mitchell (hamstring) and linebacker Odafe Oweh (ankle) were limited.
Roster moves
The Cardinals signed cornerback Bobby Price to the active roster from the practice squad and re-signed cornerback Quavian White to the practice squad.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Playing time fluctuates for some Cardinals players. Here's why
