Cardinals Mailbag: Answering the Biggest Questions After Week 1 of Camp

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are fully underway with training camp, and wouldn't you know it, the Red Sea has questions.

I tried to give some answers.

We fell just short of 21 questions when calling for our mailbag (shoutout 50 Cent) and we tried to answer most. Some were similar in subject.

With that said, let's get into it. Thank you for all the questions!

Based off what you have seen so far from Carson Beck, do you think there is any possible way he plays in enough games and balls out enough to sway Monti and co. from taking their future guy next year? - Ryan

Ryan, that's going to be the toughest question Arizona will have to answer. I wrote 1200 words on it (which you can dive deeper here) but to give you the short answer, the Cardinals probably won't see enough games from Beck to make a solid assessment one way or another.

That's a shame, as the Cardinals spent a third-round pick on Beck.

Beck, simply put, would really need to look like the next best thing since sliced bread to really make the Cardinals change their minds on looking elsewhere for their next quarterback, and that's not his fault.

Do the Cardinals have more of a running back problem than they’re letting on in terms of reps? - Kemi

Kemi, these are what the cool kids would call "champagne problems" when it comes to the talent in Arizona's backfield.

The Cardinals have a surplus of ball-carriers with only one football to tote. Case in point, not everybody will get satisfactory touches, and that's sometimes the nature of the business.

That's fine, and that's part of why Mike LaFleur is looking to install a committee approach in terms of splitting reps. Keeping guys healthy is important, especially at a position where all you do is practically take a beating.

Really the only problem they'll have is figuring out how to deploy certain backs against certain defenses/scenarios. Also remember injuries take tolls on every group, and if the Cardinals are going to run the ball as much as LaFleur leads on, they're going to need a group effort.

Which skills player has been the biggest positive surprise in camp? Negative surprise? - 32 Beat Writers

First, I want to shoutout 32 Beat Writers as one of my favorite accounts on X. They do a great job of highlighting coverage across the league and I definitely recommend following them.

I think the Cardinals' wide receivers room has been a massive surprise. Overlooking Marvin Harrison Jr.'s drop, everybody from Michael Wilson to Kendrick Bourne to bottom of the depth chart guys have really stood out.

Now, that could be a result of LaFleur's ability to scheme those guys open — but they're open regardless and making plays.

As for negative surprises, the Cardinals' right side of the offensive line has been less than ideal. Elijah Wilkinson and Isaiah Adams have respectively had more forgettable days as opposed to stand-out days. There's times where the Cardinals can't get any push or pass protection on Brissett's strong side.

Some fans may say that's not a surprise, and they might be right.

What’s the biggest difference you’ve seen in offensive scheme between Mike LaFleur and what we’ve had the past few years? - Noah

There's a number of different things I could highlight here, though the Cardinals' usage of motion is far different under LaFleur.

Previously, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing didn't use motion often, and when he did, it felt like it was more so just to gauge what alignment/coverage the defense was in.

Yet under LaFleur, motions feel more intentional. Receivers are motioned to create spacing advantages on routes. Tight ends are motioned for blocking leverage. We've seen more running back motions out of the backfield, too.

Movement isn't wasted with the Cardinals' offense. There's a rhyme and reason to it that stretches far beyond elementary reasons.

Gimme your Jeremiyah Love 2026 season stats prediction. I say he’ll go for about 1200 rushing, 400 receiving and maybe 14 total tds. - Stephen B Smith

Stephen... Brother I'd have better luck guessing the powerball numbers.

Nobody knows how the Cardinals will deploy Love, who is a versatile weapon in both the run and pass game. You'd figure they would use the No. 3 overall pick often, though they don't seem to be in a rush to overload him with work.

I think I'm dialing back my expectations compared to yours, not because Love can't hit those heights you suggested, but more so because I truly believe they will be smart in splitting opportunities with Tyler Allgeier and James Conner.

I'm taking the easy way out, I know. I see the tomatoes you're throwing and I respect them.

Who’s impressed so far? And who needs to? - Ed

Ed, I'll highlight a player for each category.

Wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette has been a standout for the "unexpected" crowd. He's made play after play in camp and I think can really crack the 53-man roster based off his ability to play special teams.

On the flip side, Trey Benson is running out of time to really prove himself. He's getting work with the third team and is behind Bam Knight in the pecking order at this point in time. The odds were stacked against him, and it appears as if preseason will be his best bet to showcase his talent before a tough decision comes.

Andrew Wingard and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, who’s winning in your opinion? - KIZ

KIZ, this is a really tough one.

Before training camp I was certain Dadrion Taylor-Demerson was in the lead for the job. As we sit here now, I was wrong.

The Cardinals will deploy a three-safety look (dime defense) often, so true "starting" duties don't really matter as much here. That being said, Arizona has utilized Wingard next to Budda Baker far more than Rabbit's been next to Baker.

At this moment in time it's Wingard winning the battle. That's a bit odd to me because he profiles more as a box, run-supporting safety whereas Taylor-Demerson is more of the rangy player in coverage.

What’s the major differences you’re seeing in this year's staff and approach compared to last year? - Sportsrgoated

In terms of overall staff, I do think a big difference to me is simply the experience being carried on both sides of the ball.

On defense you have Teryl Austin, who possesses years of experience in terms of being a defensive coordinator and very much is a person for Nick Rallis to lean on. That's also your first candidate to lead the defense if Rallis is fired midseason.

Offensively, you have Nathaniel Hackett. His success as a head coach isn't exactly great, though he has a strong track record working with quarterbacks and most importantly has been a resource for LaFleur to lean on in terms of running the show.

Jonathan Gannon's staff was full of young/energetic but inexperienced faces. LaFleur's staff carries a bit more seasoning to their resume, and I do think that can pay dividends when the season is underway.

Can Chase Bisontis really start this year? I feel like Coach Frye is leaning more on Isaiah Adams, but I really hope we can see what Bisontis is all about and actually dispute the position with Adams. - Rafs

Rafs, I thought Bisontis was going to have a solid chance to start immediately after being made a second-round pick.

However, Adams has a grip on that job, and it really feels as if Bisontis will have to be so obviously better than Adams to unseat him, which doesn't feel like it will happen right now.

Adams has taken nearly every starting rep with the first team offense. The very lone series he didn't was where Isaac Seumalo was taken out of the rotation, where Bisontis was at right guard... and Adams was at left.

There's a strong possibility, at this moment in time, Bisontis will not see the field.

Does it look like Nick Rallis is going back to more of his 2024 style defense of getting creative pressure or is he sticking with trying to get pressure with 4? (Or is it way too early to tell) - Alec

Alec, the answer is a mixture of both.

All eyes were on Rallis ahead of the season to see exactly what the defense would look like without Jonathan Gannon also in the room. Rallis was considered to be a head coaching candidate before the last 1.5 years settled him back down to earth.

The Cardinals, right now, are simply trying to establish the base of their play-calls and style. You don't want to throw everything and the kitchen sink at these players in July. You want them to master step one, before two, three, four, etc.

With that being said, we've seen Rallis get pretty creative already. We've seen some successful safety blitzes and odd-fronts under his watch, which is exciting if we can see some of that 2024 style that you asked about.

The Cardinals, under Rallis, operated best when they were aggressive and creative. It's still too early to make a defining statement either way, but the signs of life are indeed there.

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