The Arizona Cardinals are officially done with training camp. Now, head coach Mike LaFleur and the rest of his staff move forward into the depths of preseason play with three goals.
First, Arizona simply wants to stay healthy and avoid any major injuries. Second, the Cardinals want to continue installing LaFleur's offense ahead of their regular season opener. The third and final piece of the puzzle is figuring out who will land on their final 53-man roster.
Perhaps you've heard some of these names, perhaps you haven't. Regardless, these players were overlooked entering training camp, and as the Cardinals push the pedal to the floor, they only boosted their stock leaving Glendale:
Why he can make the roster:This will be a tough decision, as the Cardinals will have to weigh keeping four running backs over other bodies in highly competitive position groups. Arizona does plan to run the ball, often, and that could pave the way for Knight.
If you've followed our work, you're no stranger to Knight. He was one of training camp's biggest winners after usurping Trey Benson in the pecking order and has special teams acumen to justify his place on the roster. That, combined with a strong mode of running, can see him in a nice supporting role behind Arizona's trio of Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier and Trey Benson.
Why he can make the roster:The Cardinals, as stated above, are going to run the ball early and often. They'll likely rank near the top of the league in tight end usage in 12/13 personnel to accomplish this, which perfectly paves the way for Quitoriano's presence.
Trey McBride is an All-Pro. Elijah Higgins is a pass specialist while Tip Reiman is their primary in-line blocker - who has yet to be activated off the PUP list. Even when that does happen, Quitoriano's specialization in run blocking could give him a leg-up over his other counterparts hoping to squeeze onto the roster.
Why he can make the roster: It feels like we're the conductor of the Smith-Marsette hype train, so hop aboard. ISM has performed well all training camp, gaining traction with the first and second team offense while also serving as a backup kick return man and gunner for special teams duties.
Equally as important - he's made plays on offense. His speed is noticeable when between the white lines and he's been a big play waiting to happen at the intermediate/deep level during camp. If the Cardinals keep a sixth receiver, he's heavily in the conversation.
Why he can make the roster: Brooks is also in that conversation, especially after his Hall of Fame Game performance where he tallied 99 receiving yards with two big catches down the field.
Brooks has also turned up his performances during camp, putting him close to Smith-Marsette in conversations to make the final roster. It feels like every time Brooks is thrown the ball, he's making a play before or after the catch.
Why he can make the roster:Williams might not be quite under the radar now, but as a late seventh-round pick in the draft, his status to even compete for a roster spot was up in the air.
Fast forward to training camp, where the Cardinals are seeing their rookie tackle alternate between the left and right sides as a backup swing tackle. While he may not leapfrog Josh Fryar for those duties as an immediate fill-in, Williams undoubtedly has secured his spot on the final 53 thanks to strong play we saw on his tape from Ole Miss.
Why he can make the roster:Leota has been a quietly impressive presence in the Cardinals' outside linebackers room this camp, consistently finding himself in the backfield. With so much noise around Josh Sweat and others falling in line, there hasn't quite been any standouts emerging from that room.
Leota would be the closest thing to that, and the coaching staff noticed after giving him some run with the first team defense towards the end of training camp. Leota still needs to perform in preseason, but with BJ Ojulari 's stock trending down, this could be one of the biggest surprises on the roster.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/onsi as 6 Overlooked Cardinals Who Look Like Final 53-Man Roster Locks .
