Cardinals Camp Notebook: Quick Work as Hall of Fame Awaits

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are soon to be wheels up to Canton, OH for the 2026 Hall of Fame Game to begin preseason action.

That wasn't before squeezing in a last-minute Wednesday practice at State Farm Stadium, however, which marks the 11th of 2026's training camp duration.

It was a fully padded day for the Cardinals – mostly for the starters as a good portion of Arizona's roster won't participate in Thursday's game. Head coach Mike LaFleur says roughly 35 players between the offense/defense won't suit up.

That includes rookie running back Jeremiyah Love — which you can read more about here.

More from today, which was a rather light day in terms of media with a closed practice:

What We Saw, Heard at Arizona Cardinals Training Camp Practice

The first 20 minutes of practice were open for reporters. In that time, we saw Budda Baker and Michael Wilson after both were not practicing earlier in the week. Meanwhile, the likes of Paris Johnson, Trey Benson, Mack Wilson and Ihmir Smith-Marsette were not spotted working.
LaFleur says James Conner has earned the right to decide if he wants to play in preseason. "James being in this league as long as he has, and the miles that he's put on, if James wants to play in the preseason to see where he's at, great. If he doesn't think that's necessary, great. He reserves the right to have those conversations because he knows where his body's at."
LaFleur added next week against the Las Vegas Raiders is when we'll see "some of those guys" though he wasn't clear on exactly who would play.

Quote of the day

LaFleur on why he's excited for Thursday's preseason opener:

"It'll be cool to see just a lot of these guys' demeanors, if you will, when it's real, when the bullets are live. Just because it's preseason and the win/loss doesn't count, it doesn't mean that this isn't real football. Guys are fighting their butts off to make teams, to put good product out there, to put good tape out there, and compete. Whether it's the ping pong table or whatever, in that three and a half hour window, Carolina's going to want to win a game just like we are. It doesn't count after the fact, but in that moment, I don't care what you're doing. If you're a competitor, you care."

What's Next

The Cardinals face the Carolina Panthers at 5:00 PM AZ time on Thursday. The game can be found on NBC.

Add us as a preferred source on Google