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Arizona Cardinals Xavier Weaver (89) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Jake Curhan (64) against the Kansas City Chiefs during their preseason game at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 9, 2025. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

4 Arizona Cardinals Who Impressed in Preseason Opener

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 4:56 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals' preseason opening win against the Kansas City Chiefs is officially in the rearview mirror.

Arizona strutted their starters out for a few drives before handing their keys to the rookies and backups the rest of the game, who ultimately paved the way to the 20-17 victory after Kansas City scored on their opening drive.

As Week 2 against the Denver Broncos nears (with a joint practice coming on Thursday) - here's four players who impressed the Cardinals over the weekend:

Five Arizona Cardinals Who Impressed in Preseason Debut

WR Xavier Weaver

Though he only caught two passes for 14 yards, Weaver found the end zone for Arizona during a two-minute drill while also drawing a massive defensive pass interference penalty.

“Yeah, I thought he played well. I've told him I think (during) camp he's been a touch up and down, and he showed up today," Jonathan Gannon said on Weaver.

"I have a lot of confidence in him. He's a tough cover. The one slant that he caught before the touchdown in that drive I thought was really good. It was right in front of me, so I saw it. He beat press off a really big corner. He created space and won on a slant, catch and run. The slant, then the touchdown was a good play. He's a playmaker and he just has to make sure that his game stays consistent.”

Weaver, who was a surprise addition to last year's 53 man roster, again looks like he'll make the team after a short but impressive outing in Week 1.

CB Darren Hall

After an impressive 2024 preseason, Hall picks up right where he left off, walking out of Week 1 with an interception and two passes defensed.

“Yeah, I thought it was great. He tackled well. The interception was awesome. ‘D’ Hall to me, he's a very fast processor," Gannon said after the win. "He is extremely intelligent. He has great movement skills and he can play multiple positions. He has good ball skills. You saw that tonight. That was a great pick, I thought.

"But he's a good piece for us, there's no doubt.”

Hall is a versatile player, which is a requirement for any Cardinals defensive back. Players such as Hall need to generate turnovers and big plays in order to make the roster, and so far - so good on his end.

OLB Xavier Thomas

Copy and paste following a previous impressive preseason for Thomas, who looked strong last year and seemingly only got better entering 2025.

Thomas didn't record any official sacks on Saturday, though his presence was felt numerous times in the backfield, winning multiple pass rush reps and bringing the pressure that led to Hall's interception.

"He did some good things as well. I think with all our guys, I'm always looking for better technique at the point of attack. Schematic execution. We got to make sure we keep coming along with that, but he can throw a fastball," Gannon said of Thomas on Monday.

More fastballs, please. Perhaps the Diamondbacks may want to give him a call, too.

EDGE Jordan Burch

Burch's NFL debut was massively successful - reaching the quarterback (though a penalty negated the play) and logging multiple other pressures against Kansas City.

It's a deep Cardinals pass rush rotation, though if Burch continues on his trajectory, it'll be hard to keep the rookie third-round pick off the field.

"He was impactful. I thought he affected the quarterback. I thought he was pretty good in the run game. I thought he did some good things on fourth down as well," Gannon said of Burch on Monday.

Although it's only one preseason game, Burch could end up being quite a steal if he can continue building on his success from last weekend.

This article first appeared on Arizona Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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