5 Overlooked Cardinals With the Most to Gain vs. Cowboys

The Arizona Cardinals are set to enter tonight's preseason matchup against the Dallas Cowboys with little starters set to take the field.

Head coach Mike LaFleur informed reporters earlier this week only a mix of guys likely to make major contributions will take the field. Exactly who those players are remains to be seen.

Yet that opens the door for hefty playing time for Arizona's backups, players who range from potential role players to bottom of the floor depth guys. With plenty of green grass available tonight, here's five overlooked Cardinals who have the most to gain.

OL Jon Gaines

After the injury to second-round pick Chase Bisontis, Gaines has a clear opportunity ahead of him to solidify himself as the immediate fill-in to practically all three interior spots along the Cardinals' offensive line.

Gaines has been running with the second team unit as a center but also has versatility to play both left and right guard. Hayden Conner is shaping up to be his only competition there alongside either Oli Udoh or Matt Pryor.

With a strong performance tonight, Gaines can leave no doubt on who Arizona should turn to if the Cardinals need an interior replacement.

RB Bam Knight

Knight's one of the more heavily debated roster spots, as the Cardinals may or may not keep a fourth running back. With Trey Benson still sidelined with injuries, Knight clearly is over him in terms of roster chances.

Now, it boils down to Knight justifying his spot in the final 53, and that can be done in two ways: offensively and special teams. Not only does Knight need to run the ball well against Dallas, he also needs to prove he can contribute to special teams if he's going to stay up and avoid waivers or the practice squad.

If Knight can do both against the Cowboys, he might very well secure his spot.

WR Jalen Brooks/Ihmir Smith-Marsette

We included both players on this list, as we couldn't choose just one. Brooks and Smith-Marsette are the top two leaders in the clubhouse for Arizona's WR6 spot — if they decide to keep a sixth receiver.

Some of that will boil down to roster manipulation and other areas of need, though Brooks and Smith-Marsette both have had respectively good training camp and preseason outings — strong enough to warrant a roster spot.

Brooks is thought to have pole position in the race, though Smith-Marsette also has special teams value as a return man. It's a multi-dimensional battle between those two and fighting against other players who are on the bubble as well.

OLB Eku Leota

BJ Ojulari simply hasn't found the form from his rookie season, which has seen the outside linebacker fall somewhat out of favor with the Cardinals' coaching staff. That's opened the door for Eku Leota.

Leota is one of the more surprising names who could make the team, especially given how stacked the room is with returning veterans ahead of him. However, he's had a strong training camp and has earned some first-team snaps with starters.

It's clear the Cardinals are searching for some sort of secondary option opposite of Josh Sweat. Can Leota keep climbing up the roster? A strong performance tonight won't put his name in concrete, though the scale would certainly tip in his favor.

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