The Cardinals have been practicing at State Farm Stadium since training camp began in late July, but when Dadrion "Rabbit" Taylor-Demerson walked onto the field ahead of the preseason opener, the emotions were raw.
"I literally go out in pregame and I'm trying to hold in tears, man," Taylor-Demerson said. "Just going out there, playing for the logo on my chest and the name on my back, especially at this level. This is exactly where I wanted to be, man, but once that ball got kicked off, it was just me doing what I know how."
What Taylor-Demerson knows is how to fly around the field. On Saturday during a 16-14 preseason loss to the Saints, he did exactly that. The safety finished the game as one of the Cardinals' leading tacklers with four. Linebacker Markus Bailey, and defensive backs Verone McKinley III and Darren Hall also had four tackles.
While starting safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson didn't suit up, their leadership was seen by way of Taylor-Demerson. The guidance from his veteran teammates allowed the rookie to play free in his first NFL game.
"We got some really good guys that play here, so just learning from them is the way I can elevate my game," Taylor-Demerson said. "Running to the ball, my college coach said you show your teammates how much you care by running to the ball. When the ball is in open space, it's my job to get it down."
Getting the start in the opener was indicative of the work that the Texas Tech product has put in throughout training camp. He played for the whole first half. While fellow rookies like Marvin Harrison Jr., Darius Robinson, and Max Melton will receive more notoriety, Taylor-Demerson has held his own.
His under-the-radar camp is one of the reasons why coach Jonathan Gannon named Taylor-Demerson a starter on Saturday.
"I thought that he was in the right spot most of the game," Gannon said. "I saw him have a couple of violent hits. I thought he did a good job."
The speed of the game, coming from college to the professional stage, is one of a rookie's biggest adjustments. Rabbit could sense the difference when he lined up against Kyler Murray and the first team offense early in camp.
It allowed Saturday's outing to feel like "just a longer practice."
"Our offense has done a lot of things during training camp that you usually don't see," Taylor-Demerson said. "It was not that fast, man. Once you get going in the flow, you get the speed of the game. I'm a good player, so I've been prepared for this moment. It wouldn't say it was crazy fast, but it was also a new experience getting out there."
Whether it's looking at position battles or simply just practicing against a new opponent -- which he and the Cardinals will do this week when they travel to Indianapolis to work against the Colts -- development is paramount. The preseason opener was a good test for the first- and second-year players. Cornerback Starling Thomas V and linebackers Owen Pappoe and Xavier Thomas looked sharp.
As did the Cardinals safety that lived out his dream.
"I'm a big being-in-the-moment guy, so as much as everything was like sprinkles and kid in a candy store, I feel like it's already sunk in," Taylor-Demerson said. "But throughout the whole warm up, I'm just emotional. This is insane. There's a lot of people in this world that would love my opportunity. The one thing I can do is just keep uplifting myself and keep getting better as a player."
