Predicting the Cardinals’ Week 1 starting offense
The Arizona Cardinals are on their summer break with training camp about a month away. We don’t know exactly what the offensive starting lineup will look like in Week 1, but we have some information to suggest it.
Based on what we know right now, here are some predictions for the starting lineup on offense.
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Quarterback: Colt McCoy
Kyler Murray is the obvious starter if he is healthy but he is not expected to be ready before the start of the season.
Unless he gets hurt, McCoy should be the guy. He did, though, injure his calf last year before the start of the year.
Running back: James Conner
Conner is set to be the workhorse. No one else on the roster is established as a guy who can produce on offense in the NFL.
Wide receiver: Hollywood Brown, Rondale Moore
Assuming a two-receiver set in their base offense, Brown and Moore are probably the guys, although they might have Zach Pascal in there instead of Moore for blocking purposes.
Tight end: Zach Ertz, Trey McBride
If Ertz is not quite ready to start the season, it could be McBride and Noah Togiai. But Ertz and McBride are the guys this season.
Left tackle: D.J, Humphries
This is one of two locked-in spots on the offensive line. Assuming no setbacks from his back injury, he will protect the quarterback’s blind side.
Left guard: Elijah Wilkinson
This appears to be a wide-open job. It is the one position we don’t know much.
They added veterans Wilkinson and Dennis Daley this offseason, drafted Jon Gaines and have Josh Jones (although he’s never played left guard), Lecitus Smith and Marquis Hayes returning.
Per Darren Urban, Daley was getting first-team reps in the offseason but I heard Wilkinson was running with the first team in the later weeks of the offseason program during OTAs and minicamp.
Center: Veteran not currently on the roster
All offseason, it has been newcomer Hjalte Froholdt. However, the recent visit of veteran Chase Roullier suggests they still might have a veteran addition at the position with more experience than four NFL games at center, which are the only four NFL games of experience at center on the roster.
Right guard: Will Hernandez
His spot in the lineup feels locked in.
Right tackle: Paris Johnson
The Cardinals re-signed Kelvin Beachum and guaranteed his full 2023 salary. They have Josh Jones still but drafted Johnson sixth overall and have given him practice reps at tackle.
While some think he coudl be plugged in at left guard, my money is on him starting and the team trades either Beachum or Jones.
