There's a long time to go before the Cardinals play Washington Sept. 9 at home to open the 2018 regular season. That includes a training camp (and four preseason games) that go a long way in filtering the roster. But after a couple of months of padless on-field work, there's a way to give a little thought of who the starters will be to begin the regular season. Here's one guess at the offense. (Here was my defensive guesstimate, in case you missed it.)
QB Sam Bradford -- We will see what happens with both the Josh Rosen progress in camp and also how Bradford looks health-wise -- especially when he appears in preseason games. But it's just hard to see anything but a Bradford-Alex Smith matchup opening day.
RB David Johnson -- The contract thing is gonna get worked out.
FB Derrick Coleman -- It's still a little strange to write about a fullback. But Coleman is a vet who will fit well in this offense.
WR Larry Fitzgerald -- Back for year 15. Still playing at a high level, still a guy for whom 100 catches is all but expected.
WR Chad Williams -- There isn't a ton of conviction here because this position battle is so wide open. There a multiple choices that could step forward in camp. But in the end it just feels like Williams will be able to be the one who makes that step.
TE Ricky Seals-Jones -- Like Markus Golden on defense, Jermaine Gresham still has to show he's ready to be back on the field after an Achilles injury suffered in the 2017 finale. That's a tight timeline for the season opener. Seals-Jones makes sense, although the blocking aspect could make an impact here.
LT D.J. Humphries -- Another guy coming off an injury, but Humphries has made nice progress in the offseason and seems to be trending just fine to be ready for September.
LG Mike Iupati -- It was up in the air for a while if Iupati would be back, but he is, after a pay cut. Quietly, he may end up being the key to this line, one way or another.
C A.Q. Shipley -- Rookie Mason Cole has gotten a lot of reps at center with the backups, but every time Shipley is counted out, he's in the lineup. And he's the one guy who has stayed healthy.
RG Justin Pugh -- This is why he was one of your main free agent targets.
RT Andre Smith -- Although when Smith signed it was before Jared Veldheer was traded, there was already an assumption Smith would be a starter. Smith should end up here, although it will be interesting to see if rookie Korey Cunningham can make any kind of push in camp.
