5 Cardinals Who Need More Playing Time After Bye

Seven games in, and the Arizona Cardinals are who we thought they were in terms of who's playing. There's been some rotation between starters, backups, and depth players, but for the most part, we've seen the starters dominate playing time.

Marvin Harrison Jr. has played over 76% of snaps compared to the next guy (more later). Trey McBride has over 91% of snaps, which is over 60% more than the backup (again, more later). Four of the five starting offensive linemen are at 85% or higher, with Jonah Williams and Hjalte Froholdt each playing 100% of the downs.

Defensively, key starters Budda Baker, Mack Wilson, and Jalen Thompson are each over 99%, with Budda playing 100%. Almost all of the rest of the starters are 52% or higher.

In fairness, injuries have played a part in relying on these few, but it also feels like more opportunities should have been opened up by now.

The following list of players are guys who I believe deserve more playing time than what they have currently been getting. Some of these players should see more playing time simply for earning it, while others could use more opportunities to improve.

Zay Jones (~47.8% Snaps)

Jones is starting to see more playing time for the Cardinals, and he's been far more consistent than some of the other receivers on the team. He's reliable in the slot and had his best day against the Colts two weeks ago, catching five of his eight targets for 79 yards.

Considering his veteran status alone, Jones should be on the field more than he currently is. Injuries throughout the lineup could force more three-wide-receiver sets, and Jones should be in that group, perhaps even as the team's No. 2 receiver in some instances.

Elijah Higgins (~31.0%)

For an offense that loves the tight end, Higgins doesn't see the field as much as you'd think. Yes, a lot of this has to do with the play of Trey McBride, who is leaps and bounds better than the rest of the depth chart. However, the team has been vocal about their love for Higgins and what he brings.

Having Higgins out as another big-body target for this passing game could help elevate short-yardage and field situations. It's also not a bad idea to try him out for more running downs to make the ground game even slightly better.

Jordan Burch (~44.0%)

Things haven't been perfect for Burch through the first half of his rookie season, but we've seen the flashes that had the team so excited to add him in the third round of this year's draft. We saw Burch dominate the preseason, too, so we know he can play at a high level against the world's best.

The Cardinals have been getting okay production from their pass rush, albeit with Josh Sweat doing the heavy lifting. Working Burch into the rotation with Baron Browning would give this defense juice and size to mix things up, especially with Darius Robinson's lack of impact.

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (~55.2%)

"Rabbit" has flourished in his role as the team's third safety. He's constantly flying around the field and making plays on the ball. Simply put, he's earning his playing time, and his more than 55% of downs played matches that notion. Still, there have been times where Taylor-Demerson has looked better than starter Jalen Thompson, whose future with the franchise is unclear beyond this season.

The Cardinals could see a major benefit in giving Taylor-Demerson even more snaps to prepare him for a likely future starting position next season. He's certainly earned that chance, and he should only see more opportunities as the season progresses.

Kitan Crawford (~6.6%)

Crawford was a seventh-round pick who fought his way onto the final roster after crushing the preseason. However, he's seen next to no playing time so far in a secondary that is far from 100% healthy. Safety is admittedly a deep position for the Cardinals, with no shortage of studs, but Crawford has still looked good, even great, in his limited opportunities.

I think it's fair to say that Crawford has earned as much playing time as he can get on special teams, but it should only be a matter of time before he gets more defensive snaps.