The Arizona Cardinals released their Week 2 depth chart for Sunday's home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, and the list looks almost exactly like the one they put out before the season opener. No one has come off the roster. No rotations changed. The only real movement is in the fine print of how the snaps actually fell in the loss to the Chargers.
The team listed Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback, with Gardner Minshew and Carson Beck behind him, which matches the order from Week 1. At running back, Tyler Allgeier sits atop the chart ahead of Jeremiyah Love and Bam Knight, and the playing time on Sunday suggested that order holds.
The receiver group is split the way it was in the opener. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the X receiver with Jalen Brooks behind him. Michael Wilson leads the Z spot, followed by Simi Fehoko and Reggie Virgil. Kendrick Bourne is the starting slot with Devin Duvernay as the backup. All three positions were used as expected against the Chargers.
Trey McBride remains the starting tight end, with Elijah Higgins and Hunter Long behind him. But the snap counts told a slightly different story. Long actually played six more snaps than Higgins in Week 1, which could signal a shift in how the team plans to use the position going forward. It is not a change on the depth chart, but it is the kind of detail that matters when the Seahawks game plan gets built.
The offensive line is unchanged. Paris Johnson starts at left tackle with Josh Fryar behind him. Isaac Seumalo holds left guard, with Hayden Conner as the backup. Hjalte Froholdt is the center, Jon Gaines is listed behind him at both center and right guard, and Isaiah Adams starts at right guard. Elijah Wilkinson starts at right tackle with Jayden Williams in reserve.
On defense, the line is set with Dante Stills at left defensive tackle, Roy Lopez at nose tackle, and Walter Nolen at right defensive tackle. Darius Robinson, Andrew Billings, and L.J. Collier are the backups. Billings was inactive as a healthy scratch in Week 1, which explains why the playing time did not match the depth chart. Whether he is back in the rotation for Seattle is not confirmed.
The outside linebacker group has the most notable quirk. The depth chart lists Zaven Collins or Baron Browning as the strong-side starter, with an "or" that was not there last week. Browning actually started instead of Collins against the Chargers, and the two played the same number of snaps. That is a genuine rotation, and the team is not committing to one name on paper. Josh Sweat leads the weak side, with Jordan Burch and Eku Leota behind him.
Inside linebacker is where the Week 1 playing time diverged most from expectations. Mack Wilson is the Mike linebacker with Cody Simon behind him. Jack Gibbens is the Mo linebacker with Karson Sharar in reserve. Simon and Sharar only played on special teams against the Chargers. Earlier in the week, there had been suggestions that Gibbens and Simon might both play and rotate on defense. That did not happen. Gibbens handled the defensive snaps alone, and the depth chart reflects that he remains the starter.
The cornerback spots are straightforward. Will Johnson starts on one side with Kei'Trel Clark behind him. Max Melton starts on the other. Denzel Burke is the nickel with Garrett Williams as the backup. That held true in Week 1.
At safety, Budda Baker is the strong safety with Dadrion Taylor-Demerson behind him. Andrew Wingard is the free safety, with Kitan Crawford and Wydett Williams listed behind him. Nothing on the chart is surprising, but Taylor-Demerson did not play against the Chargers. Crawford got a little bit of defensive work instead, which is worth watching if the team sticks with that rotation against Seattle.
Special teams are unchanged. Chad Ryland handles the kicking, Blake Gillikin is the punter and holder, and Casey Kreiter is the long snapper. Devin Duvernay is listed as the primary kick returner, with Max Melton and Jeremiyah Love also listed. But in Week 1, neither Melton nor Love lined up with Duvernay on kickoffs. It was receiver Jalen Brooks who joined him back deep. Michael Wilson is the punt returner with Duvernay as the backup.
The Cardinals get the Seahawks at home on Sunday afternoon. The depth chart suggests the team is comfortable with what it put on the field in Week 1, even if the result did not go their way. The only real questions are the ones the chart cannot answer: whether Billings returns from the healthy scratch list, whether Browning keeps the starting job over Collins, and whether Long's extra snaps at tight end become a permanent feature.
According to Yahoo Sports.