Rob Gronkowski and two starters from the New England Patriots offensive line have been officially ruled out for their Sunday night battle against the Arizona Cardinals, changing the tone of the contest dramatically. What has been circled on many Cardinals fans’ calendars as a potential Super Bowl preview may end up looking more like a glorified preseason game. This won’t stop NBC from billing this game as Proven vs. Promise and hyping it as a marquee match-up, though.
It would be a major disappointment if Arizona isn’t able to take care of business in week one, given the adversity that New England is facing. While the game might not be as competitively interesting as hoped, here are three rookies football fans should watch very closely. Each of these players will be making their NFL debut, and two of them will be starting.
Arizona Cardinals Week One: Three Rookies to Watch
Brandon Williams
The first and most questionable of the three rookies to watch is third-round pick Brandon Williams out of Texas A&M. The freakishly-athletic running back turned corner will start opposite Patrick Peterson. Starting on the other side of the All-Pro surely will force targets his way, but the fact that this is only his second year playing corner and his first NFL game guarantees he will have Jimmy Garoppolo throwing at him all game. Can he step up to the challenge? That remains to be seen.
D.J. Humphries
The second guy to watch is D.J. Humphries. Humphries is technically not a first-year player, but after not dressing for a single game last year, it is his red-shirt rookie season. He will be starting at right tackle and trying to protect Carson Palmer against a formidable Patriots front seven. Humphries has received praise by coaches and local radio for his run blocking during the preseason, but his deficiencies in pass protection have also been noteworthy. Humphries has seemed to mature greatly over the last off-season, so hopefully, he has shaken off the nickname “Knee Deep” from last season.
Robert Nkemdiche
Rookie number three, Robert Nkemdiche, is the least to worry about. In his single game this preseason, he looked fantastic, creating pressure and penetration against a decent Broncos line. It will be intriguing to see how many snaps he actually plays considering that the Cardinals kept nine defensive linemen on the active roster.
The Cardinals will get the luxury of evaluating some young talent in a game that matters. They should also win this game easily, 27-10.
Main Photo:
