Arizona Cardinals training camp battles: CB1
Arizona Cardinals training camp is nearly here, with players reporting to State Farm Stadium on Tuesday. Along with it come positional battles that’ll help shape the team in 2024.
This time around, there’s no shortage of competition following an offseason of roster revamping and plenty of impactful roles up for grabs. As defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said this offseason, having to make those tough roster decisions is a good problem to have.
This time, it’s all about the competition surrounding CB1 and the other starting roles within the room.
Cardinals training camp battles: CB1
This one may take the cake as the biggest training camp battle to watch given the need for an improved secondary.
Refresher time! As we all saw last year, the Cardinals were among the league’s worst defensively. A lot of onus has been on Arizona’s run defense, which allowed a league-high 143.2 rushing yards per game. It was tied for the fifth worst in rushing touchdowns with 19.
The Cardinals didn’t fare much better against the pass, allowing the 13th-most yards at 212.5 yards per game and third-most touchdowns with 32. Let’s not forget about the second-highest passer rating allowed at 102.9. Only the Washington Commanders (105.7) posted a worse mark.
In hopes of bucking that trend in Year 2, general manager Monti Ossenfort went to work retooling the cornerbacks room, highlighted by veteran free-agent signing Sean Murphy-Bunting.
