- The cornerback position tops the Cardinals‘ list of concerns heading into camp, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes. The Cardinals still don’t have a clear-cut starter to go alongside Patrick Peterson, he writes, adding that Justin Bethel and Brandon Williams haven’t done much to separate themselves from one another. If that keeps up, one has to wonder if Arizona will turn to outside solutions at CB. On the other hand, as Weinfuss notes, players cannot engage in contact until the third day of training camp, so we haven’t gotten to see the man-press skills of either player. Once that comes into focus, Arizona might have a better idea of what they have in the two in-house candidates. On Sunday, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ran down the best available cornerbacks on the open market, including Darrelle Revis and Brandon Flowers.
- Big things could be in Byron Leftwich‘s future. Leftwich is currently serving as the Cardinals‘ quarterbacks coach but head coach Bruce Arians seems to think he’ll ascend the ranks quickly. “He’ll be a head coach early and fast,” Arians said (via Darren Urban of the team’s official website). Leftwich was promoted to quarterbacks coach in January after Freddie Kitchens was moved to running backs coach as Stump Mitchell‘s replacement.
- The most interesting Cardinals position battle will take place at backup quarterback, where Blaine Gabbert and Drew Stanton will square off for Arizona’s No. 2 QB job, opines Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Gabbert offers a first-round pedigree and has a supporter in head coach Bruce Arians, but Stanton is more familiar with the club’s offense after three seasons in the desert. The Cardinals would absorb $2.5MM in dead money if they release Stanton.
- Cardinals GM Steve Keim says he’s still looking to add a handful of veterans to the mix this summer, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. “(Team president) Michael [Bidwill] and I talked about six to eight players, who are still on the street, who could potentially come in and help us,” Keim said in an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7. Urban speculates that Arizona could look into reinforcements at cornerback or even guard if Evan Boehm doesn’t keep moving forward. A running back could also be in order if Andre Ellington and/or Eli Penny disappoint.
The Cardinals announced that they’ve signed first round pick Haason Reddick. The linebacker was selected with the No. 13 overall pick. 
Reddick, a Temple product, was one of the most incredible stories of this year’s draft class. Reddick first came to school as a preferred walk-on and eventually blossomed into a starter by the time his junior season came around. As a senior, he turned in his best season ever, tallying 65 tackles and 9.5 sacks for the Owls. Reddick even added one interception, three passes defensed, and a fumble recovery. In the months leading up to the draft, Reddick shot up draft boards everywhere to the point where he had some top ten buzz.
As Deone Bucannon recovers from ankle surgery, it seems possible that Reddick could crack the Week 1 starting lineup. The Cardinals project to start Chandler Jones and Markus Golden at the OLB spots with free agent pickup Karlos Dansby and Bucannon in the middle. Free agent outside linebacker Jarvis Jones also figures to see a decent number of snaps.
The Cardinals have now signed all seven members of their draft class. Here’s the complete list of Arizona’s 2017 draft picks:
- 1-13: Haason Reddick, LB (Temple)
- 2-36: Budda Baker, S (Washington)
- 3-98: Chad Williams, WR (Grambling State)
- 4-115: Dorian Johnson, OL (Pittsburgh)
- 5-157: Will Holden, OL (Vanderbilt)
- 5-179: T.J. Logan, RB (North Carolina)
- 6-208: Rudy Ford, S (Auburn)
The Cardinals’ experiment of moving Andre Ellington to wide receiver is over. Starting today, he is back to practicing as a running back, coach Bruce Arians told reporters (Twitter link via Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic). 
We typically don’t cover position changes in great detail here at Pro Football Rumors, but Ellington’s switch is notable since it could impact other moves made by the Cardinals this summer. For one, Ellington’s move back to RB could hurt Chris Johnson‘s chances of returning to the team. Now, Ellington and Kerwynn Williams stand as the top reserves behind starter David Johnson with youngsters T.J. Logan and Eli Penny jockeying for roster spots.
Ellington’s classification as a running back may also improve the chances of receivers like Brittan Golden, Jeremy Ross, and Marquis Bundy of making the roster. With Ellington back at his original position, the Cards’ top five receivers are Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, J.J. Nelson, third round pick Chad Williams, and Jaron Brown.
Ellington, 28, had just 96 rushing yards off of 34 carries last season. He also added 12 grabs for 85 yards. His best season arguably came as a rookie in 2013 when he ran for 652 yards off of 118 carries (5.5 ypc) and three scores. In that year, he also had 39 receptions for 371 yards and one score.
- The Cardinals have announced three signings – linebacker Alex Bazzie, cornerback Daniel Gray and Chris Hubert – and the waiving of linebacker Mikey Bart. Bazzie is now on his third team dating back May 1, as both the Colts and Panthers cut the ex-Canadian Football League player last month. Gray went undrafted from Utah State and tried out for the Cardinals afterward, but he wasn’t able to earn a roster spot then. He’s a cousin of Cardinals quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich, notes Brandon Judd of the Deseret News. Hubert has had multiple go-arounds with Arizona since it first signed him undrafted out of Fayetteville State last year. And Bart lasted just over two weeks with the Cardinals, who signed the UDFA from North Carolina on May 17.
- The Cardinals have no interest in Jeremy Maclin, according to an NFL source who spoke with Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The Cardinals, in theory, could have used Maclin as a No. 2 option opposite of Larry Fitzgerald, but they’re apparently not giving him much thought. For now, the Cards will have the speedy John Brown, JJ. Nelson, Brittan Golden, and Jaron Brown as the WRs behind Fitzgerald. While the Cardinals are not interested in Maclin, at least four teams are in on the veteran.
The Cardinals have one of the very best running backs in the game, though some might say that the supporting cast for him is lacking. Right now, the Cardinals seem content with Kerwynn Williams, T.J. Logan, Eli Penny, and Andre Ellington as the reserves behind him, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes. 
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If that’s truly the case, then that might mean that the Cardinals are moving on from veteran Chris Johnson. CJ2K was hoping to find an opportunity where he could get significant playing time, but he might not even have the opportunity to return for table scraps. Johnson claims that he has been in contact with Arizona brass about a potential deal, but that has not been verified by any other report.
It’s possible that the Cardinals and C. Johnson have an understanding in which he will wait until after the offseason program to sign. This also might be a case of the Cardinals wanting to fully assess what they have in house before bringing CJ2K back. The Cardinals might wait to see Logan and Penny in pads before circling back to the former Titans star.
- Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley underwent core muscle surgery three weeks ago, and while he figures to miss organized team activities, Shipley will be ready for training camp, reports Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. The 31-year-old Shipley, who re-signed with Arizona on a two-year, $3.5MM deal in March, graded as the league’s No. 14 center in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. Reserve interior lineman Cole Toner is currently working as the Cardinals’ center in Shipley’s absence, per Somers.