The Arizona Cardinals drafted Zaven Collins 16th overall in the 1st round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Collins was drafted by former general manager Steve Keim, to play for former coach Kliff Kingsbury. Collins was drafted as an off-ball linebacker and played at that spot under the former regime. While Collins flashed at moments, he was inconsistent and dealt with injuries.

A season ago when Jonathan Gannon took over as head coach, and Monti Ossenfort took over as general manager, one of their first moves was to move Zaven Collins to an edge defender. After that move, Collins had his best season in the NFL posting 41 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

The reason Collins will find himself in jeopardy of losing his starting spot is due to the Cardinals currently have young edge rushers BJ Ojulari, and Darius Robinson ready to break on the scene.

Cornerback Kei’trel Clark

Second-year cornerback Kei’trel Clark finds himself in a battle to be in the cornerback rotation, after an up-and-down season in 2023. Head coach Jonathan Gannon adopted the youth movement last season, and many Cardinals draft picks were thrust into contributing positions. In his time on the field, Clark displayed unwavering confidence and effort but struggled in coverage and with penalties at times.

This offseason the Cardinals made an effort to add to their cornerback room by signing veteran Sean Murphy-Bunting and selecting three cornerbacks in this year’s draft. With this added talent to the room, Kei’trel Clark will need to impress in camp to stay in the rotation.

Left Guard Elijah Wilkinson

One of the most anticipated position battles in Arizona this fall will be at the vacant left guard position. Elijah Wilkinson was the Cardinals’ starter at that spot a year ago. Wilkinson dealt with injuries throughout the season but still was able to appear in nine starts.

Before his injury in week 6, Wilkinson was not having a good season, posting one of the worst PFF grades in the NFL at the guard position. However, when he returned to the lineup he shined, and some thought he would be locked in to be the starter in 2024. Yet, in this year’s draft, the Cardinals drafted Isaiah Adams, a left guard out of Illinois. There will be a true competition between the two to be the starter next season.

Wide Receiver Zach Pascal

Seventh-year receiver Zach Pascal finds himself on the hot seat heading into training camp in 2024. Pascal was added to the Cardinals roster last year to be a big outside target but had an underwhelming season only hauling in four receptions.

This offseason the Cardinals added superstar wide receiver prospect Marvin Harrison Jr, and veteran receiver Zay Jones. With these additions, and Pascal’s two-million dollar cap hit, he is in real danger of being cut this fall.