Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up before their preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 9, 2025. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cardinals Reveal if Starters Will Play vs Raiders

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 12:41 PM ET

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon says starters aren't likely to play in the team's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.

"Still trending, but similar to last week," Gannon told reporters on Thursday.

Last week, the Cardinals sat their starters against the Denver Broncos after conducting a joint practice prior to Week 2. Arizona did p lay their starters in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

It's an expected move by the Cardinals with the regular season near, as Gannon and his staff are likely content with their roster in terms of form with the starters and overall health ahead of their regular season opener against the New Orleans Saints.

That means we're likely to see guys such as Clayton Tune play majority of snaps on Saturday, who has struggled in preseason and training camp - though Gannon did come to his defense yesterday.

"When there's people in Clayton [Tune]'s face extremely fast, that should not be the case. Hard to play quarterback when people are in your lap before you hit your backfoot. We got to do a better job," Gannon said.

Final roster cuts for the Cardinals (and the rest of the NFL) will come next Tuesday on Aug 26. Arizona will be required to trim their roster from 90 players to 53.

With that comes one final opportunity to evaluate different Cardinals battling for roles and roster spots.

"The game's a big piece. It absolutely is. I think the guys that are playing, they're playing for roster spots. They know that, and so they're excited about the opportunity, and they'll play well," Gannon said.

The Cardinals' preseason finale comes against former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who Gannon says he has a lot of admiration for.

"He's a legend. He really is. His book's phenomenal. He's so authentic when you talk to him. High energy, smile on his face. ... You look up to it. You really do."

Kickoff against the Raiders will be at 7:00 PM on Saturday at State Farm Stadium.

After Saturday, there will be a one week gap before the regular season kicks off.