The Cardinals head to New Orleans this week for the second preseason game, with the plan to play QB Sam Bradford more and to play Josh Rosen with both the first- and second-units. Meanwhile, camp is coming to a close, at least at University of Phoenix Stadium. The regular season creeps closer. Less than a month until the opener.
There were a handful of things Wilks wants to improve on from the first game. He wasn't happy with the tackling, and he wasn't happy with the third-downs on either side of the ball. That caught my eye on offense too -- 0-for-11 isn't good. That said, the preseason is about individual work a lot of the time. The biggest concern I noticed was the play of the second-string offensive line. With the number of injuries the OL has had the last couple of years, depth plays a big role. Some of those guys need to get going.
In Capi's case, I don't think it's about sacks. He's shown he can get some of those (although it'd be good to see him get reps against higher-level pass blockers at some point.) Wilks has been asked about Capi twice, and both times he made the point that Capi has to get better against the run. That was a big part of Capi's problem trying to stick last season. It's not just about his pass-rushing ability.
I'm loathe to give a straight "no" because you never know.
But no.
At this point, I'm guessing they are a) both looking at the market and b) willing to give another chance to Daniel Munyer and/or see if Evan Boehm -- who would need to be able to play both center and guard if he were on the roster anyway -- can be more effective. I will not be surprised if the Cardinals look hard at all the positions once other teams start making cuts. Would an interior offensive lineman be potentially one? Sure.
Williams had done some good things and had earned a little bit of praise from Wilks in camp. But he definitely struggled in the preseason opener, with multiple penalties and a bad missed tackle. Wilks believes the games are when you figure out who the best players are. Williams needs a big bounce-back against the Saints, I'd think.
Name a team that doesn't worry about depth. That's a constant if you are a front office. There are spots that bear watching -- cornerback, offensive line, tight end, linebacker. As for vets names, I don't know if there are any right now. The probability is that the Cards will study the cuts coming from other teams to see who might be around. Something else to keep in mind when it comes to veterans this close to the regular season -- especially if it isn't a starter -- is that teams might wait to sign them until after Week 1. Then the salary isn't guaranteed and you can make a move later if need be.
Still a little early to know how those guys might be used together. It will be hard to tell in preseason games because a) the Cards won't want to show much and b) Johnson isn't going to play a ton. But I do expect them to be out there together. Johnson hasn't really explored his receiving abilities much yet. That's to come. As for Edmonds, 10 or 12 carries a game might be a little much to expect. If they are able to run the ball as much as they want, maybe it could happen. But you want Johnson with 20 carries a game, I'd think, and if you add 10 to Edmonds alone, I mean, that would portend well for an effective offense.
And no, he's not.