I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't a big Marcel Shipp fan, especially the past couple of years, but his contributions to the Arizona Cardinals can't be denied. He was undrafted out of the University of Massachusetts where he rushed for over 5,300 yards during his collegiate career and led UMass to a National Championship. His lack of game changing speed and lack of high quality competition led him to being undrafted. The Cardinals signed him shortly thereafter and he went on to appear in 11 games his rookie year (2001), primarily on special teams. His next two seasons were the best of his career and he'd start 17 games combined during those seasons and total just over 1,600 yards. He'd suffer a horrible leg injury duringtraining camp of the 2004 season and would miss the entire season. He'd return the following season but he couldn't recapture the success of the 2002 and 2003 seasons. He'd start 11 games during the 2005 season but was basically ineffective for the most part. The Cardinals would sign Edgerrin James before the 2006 season and Shipp's carries would be limited to an average of one per game for the last two seasons.

Who knows if Shipp's career would have turned out different had it not been August 6th, 2004. He'd suffer a dislocated ankle and broken fibula in an intrasquad scrimmage that took multiple surgeries as well as a metal plate and several pins and screws to repair. Prior to the injury he averaged 4.0 yards per carry and 8.8 yards per reception but his averages fell to 2.8 and 7.6 after his return. Shipp won't go down as a great Cardinals player but his contributions shouldn't be entirely forgotten either. He was not only a productive player but also a solid locker room presence, and willing to do whatever was asked of him including playing special teams and learning the fullback position. Here's a look at Marcel Shipp's six best games as a Cardinal:
9/29/2002 - vs. NYG - Cardinals win 21-7: The fourth game of Shipp's sophomore season would be the first game that he'd truly shine. He led the team in rushing (92 yards) and receiving (39 yards), but his biggest contribution would be two fourth quarter touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) to lead the Cardinals to victory.

11/24/2002 - vs. OAK - Cardinals lose 20-41: Shipp's first game as a starter didn't end with a victory but you certainly wouldn't be able to tell by his numbers. He ended the game with 155 total yards (135 rushing, 20 receiving) and scored a touchdown. He averaged over 9 yards each time he touched the ball.

12/15/2002 @STL - Cardinals lose 28-30: For the fourth time during the '02 season, Shipp would lead the team in rushing and receiving. He'd end up with 158 total yards (79 rushing, 79 receiving) and he'd score 3 touchdowns. The highlight of this game would be Shipp's longest play from scrimmage, a screen pass that he took 80 yards for a touchdown.

10/26/2003 vs. SF - Cardinals win 16-13: This was his second game as a starter in 2003 and he'd end up with a career high in carries (35) and yards (165). On a day when the entire Cardinal offense could only muster 314 yards, his 165 would lead the team to an overtime victory over the divisional rival Niners.

11/2/2003 vs. CIN - Cardinals win 17-14: Shipp's second consecutive 100 yard game would lead to the second consecutive three point victory for the Cardinals. He'd end the day with 141 yards on 29 carries (4.9 avg) and 90 of his yards would come in the second half as the Cardinals clung to a three point lead. His 165 total yards were more than half of the Cardinals offense (304) that day as well.

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The big news from yesterday was the release of veteran running back Marcel Shipp and we'll take a look back at his seven year career with the Cardinals later today. The Cardinals did make some other news though so here's a quick overview:

Not Playing on Thursday: We found out that Boldin won't play in the preseason opener, which wasn't a big surprise considering that he hasn't practiced in a week and a half. It was a mild surprise that Doucet also won't be suiting up because of his gimpy hamstring. Neither of the injuries are considered very serious but there's not much point in rushing guys back for an early preseason game. There is no word yet on how much other starters will play, although Matt Leinart did say that he expect to play a series or two.

Another Offensive Lineman Goes Down: Another practice and another offensive lineman carted off the field as Cartlon Medder injured his left elbow. Medder had been running with the second team at left guard, but Coach Whisenhunt did say that he doesn't think the injury is serious. There is some hope that he'll be able to return to the practice field soon even if he has to wear a protective brace. Peter Clifford, who had been practicing at left tackle, moved into Medder's spot and newly acquired Kelly Butler took over at left tackle.

Rookies Changing Numbers: A couple of rookies are swapping numbers before the preseason gets underway. Fourth round pick, Kenny Iwebema  traded in #79 for #91 with newcomer Jasper Harvey taking #79. Undrafted rookie, Ali Highsmith traded in #37 for #95.

Newest Cardinal: The player who took Marcel Shipp's roster spot is Jasper Harvey. Harvey was undrafted out of San Diego State in 2006 and was signed by the Washington Redskins. He spent the next two seasons split between the Redskins and Eagles' practice squads. Harvey was a three year starter for the Aztecs, although he did have to sit out a season (2004) for a campus hazing incident. He was a very good pass blocker at SD State and didn't allow a single sack in 2003 in 502 passing plays. He played for the Orlando Predators of the AFL in 2007 where he started at center for the entire year. Most of his experience has been at center but he's got the ability to compete at both guard and center.

In a continued look at each position heading into camp (tight ends and wide receivers) we'll take a look at the running backs that the Cardinals will roll out this year. For an offense that bordered on explosive in 2007, the running game was...well, pedestrian. Despite having the most yards from their leading rusher (Edge 1,222) since 1983 (Otis Anderson 1,270), the Cardinals still finished at or near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every rushing category. The finished 26th or worst in yards per game, average yards per rush, runs that resulted in a first down, runs of 20+ yards, runs of 40+ yards and fumbles. So how could there be hope, since the only addition was a 5th round pick that no one heard of on draft day?

Edgerrin James: After two seasons in the desert, we pretty much know what we
have in the man that they call 'Edge.' The first running back to have for back to back 1,000 yard seasons for the Cardinal since Otis Anderson in 1983 & 1984 hasn't been the play-maker that we thought we were getting when he signed a four year 30 million dollar contract, but that's not to say he's been a disappointment either. After a 2006 season that saw him run behind a porous offensive line over 330 times, he rebounded during 2007 and increased his yards per carry average by nearly half a yard (3.4 to 3.8) and posted his fifth consecutive 1,000 yard season. Edge won't run by many defenders but he's one of the best at turning a three yard gain into a six or seven yards. He should be in line for another 1,000 yards and his yards per carry should continue to rise as the offensive line gels in their second season together.

Tim Hightower: The 'wildcard' in the depth chart at running back could be the difference between another sub-par year on the ground or a season in which the Cards running game finally takes some pressure off of the passing game. He was a fifth round pick but has opened some eyes already and could win the #2 job with a solid camp and preseason. Hightower's been compared to Marion Barber and Steven Jackson but overall his game seems to resemble Edge as well. He lacks 'game-changing' speed but is excellent between the tackles, has soft hands out of the backfield and plays faster than his forty times would indicate. The best case scenario for the Cardinals would be for Hightower to take over short yardage and goal line carries to save some wear and tear on Edge who's averaged over 330 carries for the past five seasons.

Marcel Shipp: The veteran will turn 30 next month and he's clearly not the player that he was several years ago. He hasn't averaged over three yards per carry since 2003 and has had exactly 41 yards rushing each of the past two seasons. Shipp has been decent is short yardage situations and served as the goal line back in 2006 totaling 4 touchdowns on just 17 carries. He's a great locker room guy but at some point his salary ($1.75 million this year, $1.85 million next year) and complete lack of production will result in him being cut. If Hightower proves to be capable around the goal line, Shipp's days in the desert could be numbered.

J.J. Arrington: The only back on the roster who wouldn't fit the 'power back' mold hasn't done much to stand out since being the Cardinals second round pick in 2005. Arrington started a handful of games his rookie season but proved that he wasn't a starter and has since bounced around from kickoff returner to third down back. His straight line speed is great but he has problems making people miss and nearly always goes down at first contact (always a bad combination). All that being said, he still has some value as a kick returner and he's only 25 years old so a case could be made that he could still develop into something. He did set career highs in receptions and receiving yards in 2007, but he'll have to do more than that since Edge and Hightower are both capable receivers out of the backfield.

Steve Baylark: The former University of Massechusetts' back is yet another Cardinal with size (6'0 225) who excels between the tackles but lacks a second gear. He spent the 2007 season on the practice squad after being just the third player in Division I-AA history to rush for 1,000 yards in  four consecutive seasons (1,950 his senior season). He'll turn 25 later this month and seems destined for another season on the practice squad unless injuries strike a couple of other backs. He may or may not be ready to play at an NFL level, but with three 'big-bodied' backs ahead of him on the depth chart, he'll have a hard time making an impact this season.

Chris Vincent: Vincent was signed to one year deal in April after being undrafted in the 2007 draft and being cut by the Lions before camp even started. There's not much information out there on him but he was injured his senior season at Oregon and finished with just ten carries for 41 yards. He was actually a linebacker and special teams ace his junior year. The 6'1 224 pound back is a very long shot to make the team and being that he'll turn 27 later this year, he'd probably have to have a great camp to even make it to the practice squad.

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The Cardinals backfield won't be confused with the Jaguars, Vikings or Steelers anytime soon but this could end up being the most productive season in quite some time. The running game is obviously a by-product of the offensive line and the line should be ready to hold it's own for the first time in a while. If they can manage to open some decent sized holes for Edge and Hightower, they should be able to punish opposing defenses and keep some pressure off of Matt Leinart and the passing game. Anyone else see some hope in this group or are the Cardinals destined for another sub-par season running the ball? Is Hightower the front-runner for the #2 job or do you still have faith in Shipp and Arrington? If the running game finish around the middle of the pack, is the offense basically unstoppable?

The Cardinals have made a consistent habit of picking up former Pittsburgh Steelers since Coach Whisenhunt moved to Arizona from the Burgh. The list includes the likes of Sean Morey, Chukky Okobi, Brian St. Pierre, Clark Haggans and Jerame Tuman among others. Their dedication to becoming the 'Steelers of the West' could be tested with the Steelers most recent cuts though. The Steelers made news over the weekend when they cut backup running back Najeh Davenport, along with three other rarely used players. Since we've looked at nearly every other free agent running back, here's a quick look at whether or not Davenport would thrive in Arizona.

Why he'd be the right guy: Make no mistake about it, Najeh Davenport is the definition of a career backup. In six NFL seasons, he's started a total of 3 regular season games (one playoff game) and hasn't ever really even pushed a starter for playing time. He's almost a 'tweener' type of back because of his mix of size (nearly 250 pounds) and his speed (had at least one 40 yard carry in 5 of 6 seasons). During the 2007 season, he flourished as the Steelers change of pace back and short yardage/goal line specialist. He ended the season with a career highs in carries (107), yards (499), rushing  touchdowns (5), receptions (18), and receiving touchdowns (2). He also contributes on special teams and was even was the Steelers top kickoff returner in 2006. All of that and he's still not 30 years old (turned 29 in February). I'll grant you that nothing he does is spectacular but just consider that the backup duo of Shipp and Arrington have combined for 179 yards in 2007 & 2006 combined.

Why he'd be square peg in this round hole: Even though Davenport would be an upgrade over either Shipp or Arrington, the problem with him coming to the desert is that his game closely resembles both Edge and Hightower. He excels when running between the tackles and has the size to get two yards when you need one, but that's also what Edge and Hightower do well. Najeh excelled in Pittsburgh because he was a complimentary change of pace back to 'Fast' Willie Parker, but that wouldn't be his role here. The Cardinals may also want to keep away from Davenport because him coming in would take snaps away from Tim Hightower and at least to this point, they sound very encouraged by his abilities. 

In the end, I doubt that the Cardinals make a serious run at Davenport, but if they did it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Signing Davenport would mean that either Shipp or Arrington would simultaneously have to be cut (which I'd be all for), but I'd want his role to be clearly defined and somewhat limited. If they brought him in I'd hope that his role would be limited to kickoff returns (partnered with Breaston) and a third down back. That wouldn't cut into Hightower's development too much and would allow the Cardinals to upgrade their running back stable. So I pose the question to you, are you interested in yet another Steeler? Would he be a good fit here and where would rank on your 'wish list' of free agent backs?

First off, I know the reasons that I shouldn't even bring up this kids' name in connection with the Cardinals, but by now we all the that the Bears cut /released Cedric Benson. He's obviously got issues both on and off the field. Effectiveness on the field mixed with multiple run-ins with the law off the field is most likely enough for teams to stay away from a character like Cedric Benson. I personally wouldn't be in favor of bringing the guy in, but since I've brought up nearly every other running back who's on the market (Jones and Jordan), I'll make a weak case as to why the Cardinals should at the very least, take a look at him.

Positives

Depth: If  you're new to ROTB, you might not be familiar with my main concern at the running back position: I have little to no faith in Shipp or Arrington. Neither of them offers much when they come into game, in my opinion. For everything that Benson hasn't been during his three seasons as a pro, an uneffective #2 back isn't on of them. He played sparingly as a rookie, based largely on injuries, but had his best season in 2006 when he was backing up Thomas Jones. His 4.1 yards per carry in 2006 and 3.8 yards per carry for his career might not sound like much but Shipp hasn't averaged better than three yards per carry since 2003 and Arrington's career average is 3.1.

Youth: Benson's about the same age as Arrington, which means he's some 5 years younger than Shipp and Edge. So, could the case be made that he's still developing and could eventually become a not only a productive player but also a respectable human being? Certainly, but no one knows for sure. This is still the same guy who was the 4th overall pick just three years ago.

Price: The market for Benson will likely be very scarce meaning that it's very possible he'll have to sign a small contract that is built mostly on incentives. That might be enticing the Cardinals front office considering that the duo of Shipp and Arrington will cost nearly $3 million dollars combined this season.

Negatives

Production: Obviously anyone who signs Benson and expects him to be a 1,000 yard back or average five yards a carry, will be sorely mistaken. Benson's proven that he'll likely never be a featured back. Is it worth bringing in a 'trouble maker' who doesn't have a high ceiling? That's a question that I can't answer.

Suspension: Anyone who even looks in Benson's direction will have to be prepared for him being suspended for at least the first four games. Again is that something that the Cardinals can live with?

Injury Prone: In three seasons, he's yet to play a full season and in total has missed 13 games despite not carrying the ball over 200 times in any season. In just three seasons he's accumulated two knees injuries, a shoulder, a forearm and an ankle injury. Two of those injuries were season ending.

Locker Room Influence: To be honest, I have no idea what kind of kind of guy he is inside a locker room, but I'd imagine he won't be instantly embraced by new team mates. Especially he if he is replacing a veteran player who has worked his tail off to make the team each season after being an undrafted free agent (Shipp).

I'm sure I'll probably get blasted for even mentioning this guys name but I'd imagine a few teams inquire about his services. Still though, a team with an accomplished, veteran running back who could mentor him while at the same time have little invested in him might be interested. So if the price was right, would you even give him a chance or is he kryptonite? Would be excited, disappointed or somewhere in between if your Arizona Cardinals signed Cedric Benson?

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Tim Hightower, the Cardinals 5th round pick, was the first pick to sign yesterday. He agreed to a 3 year deal but financial terms weren't disclosed. Hightower's in a competition with Shipp and Arrington to be Edge's primary backup.

 Hightower's already made more news that a normal 5th round pick but he's got a decent chance of being a contributor from day one. His role will likely be limited to spelling Edge and most likely handling short yardage and goal-line carries, if he can manage to win the #2 job.

Normally fifth round picks enter the league in relative anonymity  but that's not the case the Tim Hightower. The Cardinals selected Hightower at least a round earlier than anyone else had him slotted and admitted after the draft that they almost took him in the fourth. Cardinals' running backs coach, Maurice Carthon, reportably offered the the Cards a 'money back guarantee' before the pick was made. He's been compared to recent Pro Bowl running back Marion Barber repeatably since draft day by the coaching staff and countless draft reviews. And so the legend grows.

Well today I ran across two separate interviews involving the man from Richmond. The first interview is with former pro scout Tom Marino who has more than 35 years of experience in the NFL and Marino makes no secret that he's a huge fan of Mr Hightower:

Most were surprised when the Cardinals selected Tim Hightower, what’s your take?

Tom Marino: Tim Hightower is a great pick. I’ve seen all the draft publications, and nobody ever mentioned him. I think in my mind that Hightower has a next level to him, beyond some of the first-rounders….In college, Hightower had a bulls-eye on him. He was a marked man in every game. He carried the ball over 300 times and almost ran for 2,000 yards.

What are Hightower’s biggest strengths?

TM: Hightower can catch, he can run, he has excellent vision and balance. The biggest thing about this guy is he never fumbled in 700 times carrying the ball. As a college football player that’s unheard of. I’d call him the best selection in the whole draft. This guy has a real chance of being a major contributor from the get go. He is one my favorite picks. In college, they couldn’t tackle the guy.

What’s Hightower’s style of play?

TM: Hightower is a North-South guy. He has a little burst with his vision and quickness. The Cardinals are going to be able to control the football with him. He is highly underrated. Hightower kind of reminds me of Marcus Allen, in style and how he runs the ball. Hightower is a fine pick. The Cardinals got themselves one of the best sleeper picks and the biggest steal.

The second interview is a short Q&A with Hightower himself and even though he doesn't compare himself to Marion Barber (like every else tries to) or any future Hall of Fame player (like Marino just did) he does say some of the things that make you like him already:

Dusty Wittig: Who were your favorite teams and players growing up?

Tim Hightower: I was always a San Francisco 49ers fan and my favorite players were Walter Payton and Barry Sanders.

DW: What are some of your goals for the upcoming season?

TH: I just want to contribute and help my team win. Any role they need me to play I will do it just to help my team be the best they can be.

DW: What are some of your strengths that you can bring to the Cardinals?

TH: Just my competitiveness. I compete in everything I do, wanting to be the best individually I can and to be part of the best team. I am always wanting to win.

DW: What are some things that you need to improve to become successful in the NFL?

TH: Right now, I just have to gain knowledge of the offense to be confident in what I’m doing. Pretty much just getting in great shape and learning this playbook inside and out.

Well I'm not ready to compare Hightower to any Pro Bowlers or Hall of Famers, I'm excited to see what he can do in camp and in preseason games. He seems to have the toughness and desire to contribute in some capacity from day one, even if just on special teams. He's presently fourth on the depth chart but Shipp and Arrington haven't exactly lit the NFL on fire throughout their career and their combined 2.5 yards per carry over the past two seasons (72 carries for 179 yards) is part of the reason why RB was a priority entering the draft. It's not out of the realm of possibility to think that Hightower could start the season as the #2 back at the end of camp if he can stay healthy and prove his worth. With Edge turning 30 years old about 2 months he could use some help shouldering the load. Is it crazy to think that Tim Hightower could unseat two veterans before the season starts or is anyone else getting caught up in Hightower's growing legend?

The first week of organized team activities concluded this afternoon in Arizona and the good news is that there aren't any new injuries and there weren't any surprise absences. The reports that come out of OTAs need to be taken with a grain of salt but I'll pass them along anyways.

• Steve Breaston seems to be the shining star so far after three practices. He'd carried the momentum from a solid mini-camp shortly after the draft. After a rookie season in which he made a name for himself as a returner he definitely made it a point this off season to improve as a receiver. He's making sure that  Early Doucet will have to do more than simply show up to get the #3 job.
• Coach Whisenhunt stated that he has been in contact with both Anquan Boldin and Darnell Dockett but that he doesn't expect them in for OTAs anytime soon. This isn't as bad as it sounds though. Sure it would be nice to have two veteran players in town, mentoring the youngsters but with them gone right now, Doucet and Calais Campbell are getting considerably more snaps than they would have. Doucet is taking snaps with the second group and Campbell is taking snaps with the first and second defense.
  
• Offensive line coach Russ Grimm found an interesting way to get around the NFL's 'no contact' policy for OTAs by doing one on one offensive lineman drills with a tackling dummy between the guys. Not sure if he did this during his days with the Steelers but it's definitely a way to keep things from getting monotonous.
  



• There's also a 'feel good' article on Antrel Rolle's new job at free safety and how he's moving to a more natural position for his skill set. The good news for Rolle is that he's following up Terrence Holt, who did a great job of underwhelming everyone last year, so the bar is set pretty low. There's an odd about Rolle possibly playing safety on first and second down then switching to corner back to cover slot receivers in the nickel defense. I don't really see the point in 'flip-flopping' him like this because he can't focus on being a great safety if he's playing a third of his time at corner. Oh well, there's still a couple of months before we'll see if that'll work. Hopefully DRC can step up and lock down the #3 job with a close eye on Eric Green's job.
  
• There's also an encouraging story from the Cardinals official site about rookie Tim Hightower. It's encouraging in that the coaching staff has relatively high expectations of him for a guy who was a fifth round pick and is supposedly buried on the depth chart (4th in line). It sounds like they expect him to move up the depth chart and have a legit role for this team in 2008. That could be bad news for veterans Marcel Shipp and JJ Arrington.
  
• The streak of seven practices without a turnover ended today though as a pass from Matt Leinart was tipped by Gerald Hayes and intercepted by Clark Haggans. Coach Whisenhunt has said a couple times though that Leinart looks much better now than he did this time last year, which is great news for the Cardinals. Hopefully a full season and off season under the new system will make light years of difference for Matt.
  

All in all, not a bad first week. We've heard good things about several of the young guys, both quarterbacks have looked good and the team as a whole looked sharp which led to crisp practices. It's way too early for any of this to mean much, but it's still good to hear that is sounds like the Arizona Cardinals are buying into what Whisenhunt is preaching. Thoughts? Has anyone been able to watch any practices?

Now that we've looked at how the offensive depth chart breaks down for the Cardinals in 2008, I started wondering will the Cardinals offense be better or worse in 2008? The offense was a clear cut Jekyll & Hyde case in 2007. The passing game was among league leaders with 254.1 yards per game (5th), but the running game left quite a bit to be desired with just 90 yards per game (29th). Overall the offense ranked 12th in total yards (344.1 yards per game) and 7th in points (404). For the sake of simplicity we'll look at these two aspects separately then tie them together at the conclusion.

Running Game: First we'll lay the bad news on you. The Cardinals were in the bottom five in yards per rush (3.6),  runs that resulted in first downs (70) and fumbles. They didn't have a single rush over 30 yards for the second consecutive season and they're leading rusher for the past two seasons (Edgerrin James) hasn't had one since October 23rd, 2005 when he was a member of the Colts.  The problem isn't just with Edge though because the Cards didn't have a running back average over 3.8 yards per carry in 2007. The good news though is that Edge was much better in 2007 than he was in 2006. He raised his yards per carry by nearly half a yard and had four carries of at least 20 yards (his long was 18 in 2006). Edge's bounce back year is at least partially related to a revamped offensive line that included three new starters and to make things even better those same five starters will be back in 2007. Edge will turn 30 years old shortly before the season starts and that's got to have something to do with the drafting of power back Tim Hightower. Hopefully Hightower can flash some skills in the preseason and take some of the load off of Edge, especially in short yardage and goal line situations. The bottom line is that it may seem like a bad sign that the same starters are coming back from a season in which the running game finished 29th in the league but with a more experienced offensive line and a back to keep Edge fresh, they might have just enough fire power to keep this offense balanced.

Passing Game: Well in my mind I was going to start with the negatives of the passing game but it's hard to find too many problems with the unit that ranked in the top five of the league in passing yards and touchdowns. They were also above league average in completion percentage and sacks allowed. Couple all those stats with the idea that each and every receiver hasn't reached their peak level of production in this league yet and it's hard not to image this unit not striking fear into opposing defenses. Ok, now I'll put down my Cardinal Kool-Aid and mention what everyone is thinking, what about the quarterback? Leinart will be the starter from day one even though he took a huge step back from his rookie season last year. His "sophomore slump" season was made even worse by a injury that ended his season just five games into it. Some mention should also be made that he was a young quarterback trying to learn and adjust to a new system in just his second season. He has the tools to succeed in this league and with an entire year and a half to learn and grow in this system, I expect a much better season in 2008. If all else fails and Matt stumbles out of the gate and the coaching staff gives up on him, they have arguably the best #2 QB in the league in Kurt Warner. Warner had his best season since his day in St Louis in 2007 and even with his age, he should be able to take over for another season if need be.The bottom line, in my opinion, is that while there may be some debate over who the starting QB should be, it should play itself out and one of them will prove capable of leading this unit to another successful season.

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There are always positional battles in training camp and in early May there are just too many variables to figure it all out. But we can preview the positions heading into camp.

Quarterback: The top two spots are set. Leinart would have to lose the job in camp to not be the opening day starter, but Warner is ready and waiting should Matt experience any hiccups. The spot to watch though is the #3 job. If the Cardinals chose to carry a third QB on the 53 man rosters it'll be St. Pierre (some teams carry just two). If they chose to carry only two, St Pierre would have to be released because the former Steeler has too much service time to be relegated to the practice squad. In that case, undrafted free agent rookie, Anthony Morelli would be the third QB but wouldn't count against the 53 because he'd be on the practice squad.

Running Back/Fullback: The drafting of Hightower and the projection of Castille (spent last season on the practice squad) means at least one of the current players has to go, if not two. At RB, the group includes Edge, Arrington, Shipp and Hightower. It is possible that the team could keep all four but it would be odd. Arrington offers something in the return game not to mention that he's younger (25) and cheaper than Shipp (30 years old). If the team decides to keep just three running backs, Shipp would look like the lowest on the totem pole. At fullback, Castille is a second year, undrafted free agent who's been praised by the coaching staff for bulking up in the off season. The coaching staff could have a difficult decision on their hands if it comes down to cutting veteran Terrelle Smith in favor of Castille. Smith hit 30 years old this year and he's considerably more expensive his counterpart. I'd look for Shipp and Smith to cut released before the start of the season.

Wide Reciever: We've already talked about the battle for the #3 WR job, but the competition will likely stretch all the way to the #5 job as well. The guys that stick around will have to contribute on special teams. Steve Breaston's roster spot should be safe considering he was one of the best punt returners in the league in 2007. Jerheme Urban is the most accomplished receiver outside of Fitz and Q, and he'll have to show continued improvement to keep his job. The group of Sean Morey (special teams standout), Ahmad Merritt (missed all of 2007 with injury), Jamaica Rector (speedster from Dallas), and undrafted free agent rookie, Lance Long will have to stand out above the rest in order to stick around. Obviously Fitz, Q, and Doucet's jobs are safe, so that leaves probably three other jobs among the six. Breaston will have fall on his face in order to not make the roster and Urban would have to prove he doesn't belong. That really leaves just one spot for the Morey, Merritt, Rector, and Long.

Picture via azcardinals.com

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