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With training camp starting this week, we can now focus on actual player performance and depth charts and rosters. The Arizona Cardinals have a few key spots open for competition, and they are actually pretty intriguing. In fact, three of their positional battles are intriguing enough that NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal puts them among the top 25 training camp battles.
The first to appear, at number 25, is the battle for second receiver between Andre Roberts and Michael Floyd.
The second, at 15, is the battle for a safety position between Rashad Johnson, Yeremiah Bell and rookie Tyrann Mathieu. What makes this so intriguing? That would be Mathieu, of course. Many eyes will be on him after he was away from football for a year after being kicked off the team at LSU for his drug and off the field behaviors.
At number 12 is Rashard Mendenhall versus all the rest at running back.
Floyd and Roberts? That should be a good watch, although who is number two and who is number three seems a bit moot. Both will get plenty of opportunities to catch the football.
As for the safety position, it seems unlikely that Mathieu, playing a new position, would pass one of the other two guys out of camp. Nonetheless, when he is on the field, you will want to watch to see what happens.
As for the running backs, while it is higher up on the list, it is the least intriguing. Bruce Arians believes in Mendenhall and he is the only back on the roster to have accomplished anything in the league. Ryan Williams is a big question mark and then there are a pair of rookies, one of whom did not hardly get any practice time because he (Stepfan Taylor) was still in college.
Where would you rank them among all the NFC? Are they about right, or did Rosenthal get it wrong?
More from Revenge of the Birds:
- 2013 Arizona Cardinals training camp: Previewing the running backs
- Steve Keim won't acquire Steve Keim types of offensive linemen
- 2013 Arizona Cardinals training camp: Previewing the wide receivers
- Arizona Cardinals success with Bruce Arians would be changing history
- Adrian Wilson talks Patriots, Patrick Peterson, No. 24 with local radio
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