4 Toughest Decisions Cardinals Must Make on Cut-Down Day

ARIZONA — Welcome to cut-down day.

The Arizona Cardinals will be tasked with choosing 53 players to carry on their initial regular season roster. This won't be the final roster by any means, though today's 3:00 PM AZ time deadline will lay the foundation for the 2026 season.

There are tough decisions across the board when trying to narrow down a roster, though these four just might be tougher than the rest:

Which Players to Place on Injured Reserve

All of Carson Beck, James Conner and Tip Reiman are dealing with injuries that could keep them out for Week 1 of the regular season or beyond. In fact, Beck's the only player to take 11-on-11 reps during training camp or play in a preseason game.

Beck has missed the last three games with a rib injury suffered in the Hall of Fame Game and hasn't practiced in weeks. Reiman hasn't practiced since landing on PUP to begin camp while Conner has only done individual drills.

Who lands on injured reserve and misses at least the first four weeks of the season? Do the Cardinals utilize either of their pre-cut IR return spots?

It all depends on the respective player timelines, though if Arizona doesn't believe any of the aforementioned players are ready, they could land on IR and clear a roster spot for someone else.

Is There Room For a Sixth WR?

The Cardinals essentially have five receiver spots solidified with a potential sixth opening.

All of Michael Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Kendrick Bourne, Reggie Virgil and Devin Duvenay feel like safe bets to crack the team's 53-man roster. If a sixth spot emerges, there's quite the competition.

Jalen Brooks is the leader in the clubhouse after producing strong numbers at the position in preseason play. However, Simi Fehoko and Ihmir Smith-Marsette bring slightly different dynamics to both the receivers room and roster.

If the Cardinals are eying pure receiver play, Brooks is the guy. If special teams carries more weight than usual as a final roster spot, Smith-Marsette and Fehoko just might have an edge.

Who Separated Themselves in CB Battle?

Players such as Garrett Williams, Will Johnson and Denzel Burke figure to be starters in Arizona's secondary.

Quite honestly, things can get a bit sticky from there.

The Cardinals have plenty of options near the bottom of their cornerback depth. Sean Murphy-Bunting is a versatile and veteran backup while Max Melton, Starling Thomas, Kei'Trel Clark and Elijah Jones have been battling for snaps all throughout camp and preseason.

Murphy-Bunting and Melton probably have the strongest odds to land on the roster, though a potential sixth cornerback spot truly feels like anybody's for the taking — especially with Thomas, Jones and Clark featuring heavily in Arizona's finale on Friday.

Has BJ Ojulari's Time Run Out?

The Cardinals' outside linebacker room didn't change much this offseason, as the team hoped for somebody to make a jump opposite of Josh Sweat.

A prime candidate for that was BJ Ojulari, though the former second-round pick failed to impress after making a full recovery from a severe knee injury suffered ahead of the 2024 season.

Ojulari did manage 1.5 sacks against Green Bay — but is that enough to overcome his overall body of work? Arizona has to decide if they still believe Ojulari is on a positive trajectory, and that's not an easy question with Eku Leota's preseason resume shaping up much better than his.

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