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ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals' regular season is here.

The Cardinals' entire offseason is officially behind them — we've made it to game week, where the Los Angeles Chargers play host at SoFi Stadium this coming Sunday.

Arizona's roster evaluation is officially over. The Cardinals now have roles defined and move into the work week as such with head coach Mike LaFleur having his team set.

Months ago, we entered OTAs with plenty of roster spots and position battles up for grabs. Here's who won every single one:

Every Cardinals Position Battle — And Who Won

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Bam Knight (20) against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Final RB Spot: Bam Knight

James Conner hit injured reserve, so this was effectively RB3 behind Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier. Bam Knight and Trey Benson were considered to be battling here, though thanks to Benson's injury and Knight's impressive preseason, this was anything but a battle. Knight safely had a roster spot while Benson was waived/injured before the preseason even ended.

Final WR Spot(s): Jalen Brooks and Simi Fehoko

The Cardinals' top of the WR room felt fairly comfortable with five spots cemented — but who would emerge strong enough to convince Arizona to keep a sixth? As fate would have it, Jalen Brooks and Simi Fehoko played so well to force the Cardinals to keep seven receivers. Ihmir Smith-Marsette was the initial leader here before he fell out of favor.

Starting RG: Isaiah Adams

Second-round pick Chase Bisontis was set to make this quite the conversation, especially with impressive play in preseason before going down with his MCL injury. Still, with legal issues pending, Adams was the slight favorite to begin the season as a starter. Now, barring a surprise from Jon Gaines, Adams has a clear path to starting for the rest of the season.

Jul 23, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jack Gibbens (50) during training camp at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Starting ILB: Jack Gibbens (Well, Kind Of)

There's no clear winner here, because the Cardinals will deploy both Gibbens and Simon differently week to week based on matchups, gameplans, etc.

Gibbens most likely will be used as nickel linebacker thanks to his frame and pass coverage abilities. Simon, meanwhile, better fits a run-stopping/early down package.

The spot opposite of Mack Wilson Sr. appears to be an open door for both Cardinals linebackers to get plenty of run and playing time — at least until somebody can truly separate themselves.

CB2: Denzel Burke

Garrett Williams is back in the slot. Will Johnson obviously carries starting duties on one boundary spot — but what about the other?

Burke, a Day 3 rookie who shined last season, has a strong grasp on starting duties to begin his second season after nobody else in the Cardinals' cornerback room really proved themselves in preseason. Kei'Trel Clark and Max Melton sit as potential alternates here.

Safety: Andrew Wingard

This may have been one of the more surprising jobs of camp/preseason, as we all assumed Dadrion Taylor-Demerson would step into the departing Jalen Thompson's shoes and start next to Budda Baker.

Andrew Wingard flipped that script.

Wingard, who signed as a free agent, took an early lead in the safety room next to Baker and hasn't looked back. He's firmly entrenched as a starter entering Week 1 while Taylor-Demerson hasn't been able to impress.

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