The Arizona Cardinals host the New Orleans Saints in the first preseason game of the 2024 season. It will be the first chance to see the Cardinals in their second year under head coach Jonathan Gannon. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray has been held out of the entire preseason.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 P.M. MST Saturday and the game can be viewed on CBS 5.
Marvin Harrison Jr. and other rookies first NFL game action
Marvin Harrison Jr. will play his first NFL preseason game. Expectations are high on him after the Cardinals spent the fourth overall pick to upgrade their receiving corps. He’ll join a room featuring Michael Wilson, Zay Jones, and Greg Dortch.
Harrison has had some good moments in camp, so it’ll be interesting to see how he looks when competing against other teams. It’s unlikely he plays very deep into this game, as they’ll want to make sure he’s available when the regular season starts.
Darius Robinson and Max Melton, both high draft picks, will also get a chance to showcase themselves against another team. Robinson is expected to play a significant role on the defensive side due to his versatility to play multiple spots on the defensive line. Melton is a depth piece at corner behind Garrett Williams, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Starling Thomas V.
Backup quarterback battle
Clayton Tune and Desmond Ridder will battle it out for the primary backup job to Kyler Murray. Tune is in his second season with the Cardinals while Ridder is in his first preseason with Arizona, giving the former an advantage in the battle because the team has a much better idea of what he has to offer. With Murray not playing in the preseason, there will be plenty of reps to evaluate the two quarterbacks.
It’s unclear how many quarterbacks the Cardinals will carry during the regular season, so it can’t be assumed both will make the 53-man roster. Usually when you get to cutdowns, something unexpected typically happens that drastically alters the roster dynamics. The practice squad rules also come into play in these decisions.
Chance to see the starting defense for a couple series
The biggest area of improvement for the Cardinals will come on the defensive side of the ball. They’re coming off a season where they had the second worst points per game allowed (26.8). There won’t be much tape on how the unit will perform in the preseason, but it’s still an opportunity to see how they come together.
The Cardinals feature a very young secondary. Williams could be the lynchpin of the secondary, playing across the field from Murphy-Bunting, and Thomas as the No. 3 corner. Opposing offenses will target the young corner, so it should be an opportunity for him to show what he’s learned in his first year in the NFL.
The Cardinals will already be without the services of second-year edge rusher BJ Ojulari, who will miss the entire season with a torn ACL in his left knee. Dennis Gardeck is expected to pick up much of the lost snaps for the season.
A chance to evaluate depth players on the 90-man roster
Most of the starting offense and defense will play a couple series, but the rest of the game will feature end of the roster players. It will be a chance to see players try to compete for the final 10-12 roster spots and a significant chunk of their practice squad. Due to the attrition of an NFL regular season, it’s important for the Cardinals to build roster depth beyond just their initial 53-man roster.
Marvin Harrison Jr. to play in Cardinals’ preseason opener Saturday
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
