Does Cardinals recent injury epidemic force them to sit starters in preseason?

How the Cardinals should handle preseason:

The good news for the franchise is the offense is almost identical to last year. The chemistry is already in place for the unit, and despite some small aspects to work on, the starters likely will only need to play a couple of quarters throughout the entire preseason to get back into the groove. The same can’t be said for the opposite side of the ball.

Even before the injuries, the Cardinals defense had plenty of changes made this offseason. General manager Monti Ossenfort drafted six new defensive players, while signing veterans like Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson. There is plenty to learn and install for the defense throughout the few preseason games.

The veterans will likely pickup the new system quicker, which means they’ll be able to rest more during the opening set of games. The team’s injuries have sidelined many of the leaders on this defense, and head coach Jonathan Gannon will have to ensure the team doesn’t lose anymore players before the start of the season.

The rookies are a different stories. While Arizona will want to give the first-year players all the reps, the franchise past two first-round picks both likely to miss their rookie preseason. Darius Robinson missed the first 11 games last year and severely struggled, while Walter Nolen’s status for Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints in jeopardy.

Ensuring a player is ready for the season opener, while monitoring their health is a delicate balance. However, the preseason’s value has dismissed significantly, and the best decision for the team is to rest the starters as much as the coaching staff are allowed. The Cardinals are striving for a postseason berth for the first time in four years and ruining that goal for a meaningless game in August would be devasting.