Donnie Druin#7 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 12, 2026
Druin names six under-the-radar Cardinals who boosted their stock in training camp and could make the final 53-man roster, with rookie tackle Jayden Williams described as having secured a spot outright. They also predict Arizona will rank near the top of the league in tight end usage in 12/13 personnel and that Bam Knight has passed Trey Benson in the running back pecking order.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Donnie Druin said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromWilliams undoubtedly has secured his spot on the final 53 thanks to strong play we saw on his tape from Ole Miss.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- 6 Overlooked Cardinals Who Look Like Final 53-Man Roster Locks
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidAug 12
- GradedSep 25–Oct 7
- 1Teagan Quitoriano to make the roster“TE Teagan Quitoriano — Why he can make the roster: ... Quitoriano's specialization in run blocking could give him a leg-up over his other counterparts hoping to squeeze onto the roster.”
- 2Jayden Williams to make the roster“Williams undoubtedly has secured his spot on the final 53 thanks to strong play we saw on his tape from Ole Miss.”
- 3Bam Knight to make the roster“RB Bam Knight — Why he can make the roster: ... Arizona does plan to run the ball, often, and that could pave the way for Knight.”
- 4Jalen Brooks to make the roster“Brooks has also turned up his performances during camp, putting him close to Smith-Marsette in conversations to make the final roster.”
- 5Eku Leota to make the roster“Leota still needs to perform in preseason, but with BJ Ojulari's stock trending down, this could be one of the biggest surprises on the roster.”
- 6Bam Knight to be 4th on the depth chart“can see him in a nice supporting role behind Arizona's trio of Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier and Trey Benson.”
- 7Ihmir Smith-Marsette — “heavily in the conversation if the Cardinals keep a sixth receiver”“If the Cardinals keep a sixth receiver, he's heavily in the conversation.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teagan Quitoriano to make the roster1 | Roster Spot Calls | 1 week on a 53 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Jayden Williams to make the roster2 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 0 | +200 | |
| Bam Knight to make the roster3 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Jalen Brooks to make the roster4 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Eku Leota to make the roster5 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Bam Knight to be 4th on the depth chart6 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Ihmir Smith-Marsette — “heavily in the conversation if the Cardinals keep a sixth receiver”7 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 calls · 5 hits · 2 waiting | 100 | 80 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive7 checkable claims — 6 roster spot calls and 1 depth chart call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
5 of 7 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 80 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the rest of the room.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Roster Spot CallsTeagan QuitorianoArizona Cardinals
Teagan Quitoriano to make the roster
What happened1 week on a 53100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- ARI
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Teagan Quitoriano
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 5
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 4
2Roster Spot CallsJayden WilliamsArizona Cardinals
Jayden Williams to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 0100this call−0a naive guess=100better than naive×2difficulty=+200skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- ARI
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- Jayden Williams
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
3Roster Spot CallsBam KnightArizona Cardinals
Bam Knight to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- ARI
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Bam Knight
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
4Roster Spot CallsJalen BrooksArizona Cardinals
Jalen Brooks to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- ARI
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Jalen Brooks
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
5Roster Spot CallsEku LeotaArizona Cardinals
Eku Leota to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- ARI
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Eku Leota
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
6Depth Chart CallsBam KnightArizona Cardinals
Bam Knight to be 4th on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Roster Spot CallsIhmir Smith-MarsetteArizona Cardinals
Ihmir Smith-Marsette — “heavily in the conversation if the Cardinals keep a sixth receiver”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 5 settled calls, each counted once
100naive 80
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Jesse Holley · Game Outcome Picks · Arizona Cardinals · Hit 100
Jesse predicted the Cowboys finish 10-7 but still win the NFC East with 10 wins, picking Dallas over the Giants, Commanders, Texans, Buccaneers, Colts (loss), and losing to Baltimore, Green Bay, Philadelphia twice, Arizona, Seattle and the Rams.Garrett Podell · Game Outcome Picks · Arizona Cardinals · Miss 0
For Week 7 of the 2026 season, Podell predicts Daniel Jones plays a clean, turnover-free game against Minnesota's top-ranked defense, Bijan Robinson rushes for 150-plus yards against the undefeated 49ers, and the Cardinals upset the Broncos at home without scoring a touchdown.Tyler Sullivan · Game Outcome Picks · Arizona Cardinals · Miss 0
In his Week 7 upset alert column, Sullivan expects the Cardinals to score in the low-to-mid 20s and beat the visiting Broncos, whose offense he views as broken under Bo Nix. He also suggests Sam Darnold's turnovers will let the Chiefs win in Seattle and remain undefeated.Tyler Sullivan · Score Predictions · Arizona Cardinals · Miss 24
Sullivan projects final scores for every Week 7 NFL game, including a comfortable Vikings home win over the Colts, a Jets win over the winless Dolphins, a Browns road win in Tennessee, another Cardinals upset over Denver, and a Bengals win in Baltimore.Tyler Sullivan · Game Outcome Picks · Arizona Cardinals · Miss 0
Sullivan flagged Week 5 upset candidates, pointing to the Cardinals knocking off the favored Lions and the 49ers beating the Seahawks on the road.
More roster spot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman expects Sean Fresch Jr. to clear waivers and return to the Broncos' practice squad, sees Riley Moss back from concussion for the Week 11 game at Las Vegas, and projects newly acquired Daiyan Henley to begin as the third inside linebacker behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad before likely moving into a starting role.Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman writes that Riley Moss may sit out the preseason finale against Minnesota but should be available for the Week 1 opener at Kansas City; they also suggest undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin are being evaluated for practice squad spots.Chad Jensen · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Turner · Miss 0
Jensen predicts Daiyan Henley's arrival will cut into Justin Strnad's snaps while Alex Singleton keeps playing virtually every down, and that Denver will return to a three-linebacker rotation after the Week 10 bye. They also expect one of Jordan Turner or Karene Reid — most likely Turner — to be waived to clear a roster spot.Charean Williams · Roster Spot Calls · Odell Beckham Jr. · Miss 0
Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad.