The Cardinals made a couple of minor roster moves yesterday by released/cut Ahmad Merritt (WR) and Dionte Johnson (FB). Merritt has struggled in trying to recover from a severe ankle injury that he suffered during the preseason last year. Johnson, an undrafted free agent, has  been limited nearly the entire camp by a high ankle sprain. He did spend a while talking with Coach Whisenhunt after practice and there is some thought that he's still a candidate for the practice squad.

One of the open roster spots was filled by running back, Chris Vincent. Vincent was cut earlier in camp and he's an interesting signing because the running back stable seems to be full and he doesn't exactly have defined position. Vincent was a part time running back and part time linebacker at Oregon, but his the only area that he really excelled at was on special teams. I don't know what they see in him but it's the second time that they've singed him this year. They still have an open roster spot so there could be another signing coming or they could just leave the roster at 79 and since they have to cut it down to 75 by next Tuesday.

With one week of camp in the books, there have been some encouraging news from both young and veteran players, but injuries are starting to mount and could quickly become a concern. It's still early and there is a full month before the regular season starts, so it's too early to hit the panic button but it's something worth keeping an eye on.

Injuries Mount for Centers: Yesterday we learned that starting center, Al Johnson, left camp to get his ailing knee checked out. There hasn't been any news released on the status of that knee yet, but yesterday another center went down. With Lyle Sendlein moving into the starting role, the new backup is Scott Peters. Peters,a former fourth round pick out of Arizona State, went down in pain yesterday and had to be carted off the field. The extent of his injury isn't known yet but if it's anything serious, the backup center would probably be undrafted rookie, Hercules Satele. Depending on the severity of Johnson's and Peters injuries, the Cardinals could be in the market for a veteran center.

Other Injury News: There aren't any other significant injuries to report but there are a couple small ones. Clark Haggans didn't practice yesterday but he didn't appear to have an injury so it could just be a case of a older veteran getting a rest. Rookie fullback, Dionte Johnson also had a walking boot on his foot. The extent of the injury isn't known because Whisenhunt didn't meet with the media yesterday. For Johnson though, any significant injury would probably seal his fate with the Cards. It's hard enough for an undrafted free agent to make the an impact and missing an extended amount of time is normally a precursor to being cut. Another undrafted rookie, Keilen Dykes, returned to the practice field on Thursday.

New Offensive Tackle: I was hopeful that Thaddeus Coleman would be a promising prospect and that Russ Grimm would be able to mold him into a serious player, but it wasn't meant to be. Coleman was released yesterday to make room for veteran tackle, Kelly Butler. Bulter (6'7 320, 26 years old) was a sixth round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2003 and he's had 21 career starts, although he didn't appear in a single game last year. It'll be interesting to see if Butler is the veteran tackle that the Cardinals have been looking for or if they'll continue to wait for another veteran to be cut.

Other Random Camp Notes:

• Don't forget the name Lance Long. Every single practice is highlighted by him making a spectacular catch and his name is starting to get mentioned on a daily basis. Darren Urban even said that he hasn't seen him drop a single pass so far during camp. If he can perform as well during the preseason, he'll make a serious push for a roster spot.
  
• Starting cornerback, Eric Green missed practice yesterday for personal reasons and starting in his place was Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. DRC had a good practice in which he broke up a deep pass intended for Fitz and had another interception. It's still clear that he's raw but there's no doubt about potential.
• Seventh round pick Brandon Keith has been getting some pretty good praise from the coaching staff the past couple of days. He's been playing primarily at right tackle but Whiz has said that he's got the ability to play both tackles and could also slide inside to guard. They won't likely throw all of the positions at him at once but they're encouraged by his quick feet, especially since dropping 25 pounds from the time he was drafted. Keith's best practice was Wednesday when he held his own on multiple drills against pass rush specialist, Chike Okeafor.

Our continued pre-training camp breakdown of each position for the Cardinals, brings us to the fullback position and even though it may be a dying breed there are still some decent options left in Arizona. So far we've looked at tight ends, wide receivers and running backs but the fullback is a player that gets much less attention or praise. For the most part the traditional fullback is nearing extinction and is being replaced by more versatile players. The Cardinals seem to have a decent option either way they choose to go but teams rarely carry more than one fullback on the 53 man roster so the training camp battle at fullback could be one to keep an eye on.

Terrelle Smith: Smith is the prototypical fullback in that he excels at one thing and one thing only, lowering his head and opening holes for his running back. Only once in his eight year career has he had double digit carries (rookie season) and only twice in his career has he had double digit receptions (2000 & 2005), but he has led the way for six 1,000 yard rushers in his eight year career. At 6'0 250, Smith isn't built to run around or by anyone but he is the guy that you want in front of your tailback when you're trying to get one yard for a crucial first down or touchdown. He turned 30 years old this year so it's worth questioning how much longer he can continue punishing his body, but he has been very durable throughout his career (only missed 5 games in 8 years). Smith's experience gives him a significant edge over Castille considering his eight seasons and over 120 games of NFL experience greatly outnumber Castille's one season on the practice squad.

Tim Castille: In the ever-changing world that is the NFL, the newest fad is replacing a traditional blocking fullback with a more versatile weapon who can attack defenses with more than just his blocking. The coaching staff has praised Castille for bulking up a bit during his season on the practice squad after signing him as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama. Castille started at fullback his first two years at Bama but morphed into their short-yardage specialist his junior and senior seasons. By the end of his collegiate career he had totaled 21 touchdowns on 161 carries and added another 60 receptions. Many compared him to Zack Crockett after his senior season and thought that he could have the same kind of impact in the NFL . Castille's already made some news in mini-camps when he was running with the first team ahead of Smith, but Coach Whisenhunt and Castille himself were quick to point out that mini-camp practice were non-contact drills and that it was too early to make much out of the switch. His age and lower cap value could give him an edge over the older and more expensive Smith, if they're play is similar during camp and the preseason.

Dionte Johnson: Johnson is an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State and is will most likely follow in Castille's footsteps by spending at least one season on the practice squad if the team wants to keep him after camp. His forte is straight ahead run blocking and even though he isn't as big as a traditional fullback (6'0 238), he was the lead blocker for the Buckeyes and was also utilized on special teams as a wedge setter on kickoff returns. Johnson's young, even for a rookie (22), so a year or two of seasoning on the practice squad could be what he needs to make the transition to the professional level. Being that he's a blocking fullback he could also add another 10 to 15 pounds to his frame without hurting his athleticism to much.

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The battle for starting fullback isn't one that will garner much attention but it could end up being the only position on the offensive side of the ball that has a new starter on opening day. Terrelle Smith is the best blocker, but if the coaching staff wants a more versatile option they'll likely turn to Castille. Teams rarely carry two fullbacks but the Steelers went through the same predicament last season when they kept Dan Kreider (traditional fullback) and Carey Davis (versatile fullback) on the roster, so it could happen. The idea of a goal line package with Smith leading the way for Castille is awful tempting, but we'll just have to wait and see. Either way, don't forget about the fullback when your watching the preseason, the coaching staff certainly isn't. Anyone care to make any predictions? Would you rather have a 'traditional fullback' or a more versatile option?