Winners, Losers From First Half of Cardinals Training Camp

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are roughly halfway through training camp, and with preseason action right around the corner, the team has seen players rise and fall since they first reported.

The team's initial depth chart was just released, placing us one step closer to roles across the roster being defined.

Whether it be position on the depth chart or simply due to play, we've hand-picked winners and losers of training camp thus far:

Winner: Kendrick Bourne

The hype was there for Marvin Harrison Jr. while Michael Wilson was fresh off a 1,000-yard season. Not to say the Cardinals knew they'd be fine with their top two receivers, though we had an idea of what each could do.

The same couldn't be said for the freshly signed Bourne taking over WR3 duties — though he's shown up and showed out thus far at camp. Bourne has found himself open far more times than not while I can't recall him dropping a pass — the biggest blunder has been a false start penalty.

Bourne has been consistently consistent and has provided the Cardinals with a massive upgrade at WR3.

Loser: Trey Benson

Benson has been a player highlighted heavily as we approach the start of training camp. The former Day 2 pick is fighting for a roster spot after two prominent additions to his room, and thus far, it's been slim pickings for the Florida State product.

That's not to say Benson has looked bad in training camp. He broke off a nice run down the left sideline and flashed that home-run hitting ability we saw of him coming out of college.

However, his rehab from a meniscus injury from last season kept him out of team drills to begin camp, and he's fallen behind all of Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight in terms of reps. That's also without James Conner in the mix.

Benson has to show up in preseason.

Winner: Isaiah Adams

Adams was thought to be on the verge of losing his starting job entering the summer, especially after the Cardinals made Chase Bisontis a second-round pick this past April. The firearm charges against Adams right before training camp began certainly didn't help, either.

Yet it's been Adams as the front-runner for the job, and quite frankly it hasn't been close. He's taken nearly 100% of starting reps at right guard this summer while Bistonis has been stuck with the second unit.

Whether it be Adams' consistency or Bisontis still developing, what was once believed to be a training camp battle has been anything but.

Loser: Elijah Wilkinson

Wilkinson received a ton of flak for his play last season with the Atlanta Falcons, as he wasn't exactly excelling in pass protection.

That's been a similar storyline during this training camp, as Wilkinson has been on the receiving end of highlight plays from Cardinals outside linebackers getting to the quarterback on more than one occasion, and that's without Josh Sweat healthy and practicing.

He hasn't been the worst player, though Arizona's offensive line will only be as good as their weakest link — and right now that's Wilkinson.

Winner: Jayden Williams

Oftentimes, a seventh-round pick has to truly fight for their lives to make an NFL roster in their rookie season.

Not only is Williams set to do that, he's climbed his way up the depth chart and is a second-team tackle.

Williams, held back by injuries in college, has truly impressed despite being so green early on in his Cardinals tenure. While Josh Fryar appears to be the team's backup swing tackle on either side, Williams is still earning critical snaps with the second unit and appears to be on the verge of making the team.

Loser: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson

Loser is probably a harsh term here, as the Cardinals will use three safeties often in Arizona's defensive plans during the 2026 season. Still, Taylor-Demerson was fully expected to step into starting duties this year.

That was mostly thanks to his strong play in a reserve role on top of Jalen Thompson departing in free agency. When Andrew Wingard signed, Cardinals fans didn't pay much attention to the move thanks to Taylor-Demerson's presence.

Yet Wingard, who started for Jacksonville last year, has come in and emerged as the early starter next to Budda Baker — a role that was highly expected to be filled by Taylor-Demerson.