Donnie Druin#7 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 14, 2026
After the Cardinals' preseason win over the Raiders, Druin identifies risers and fallers on Arizona's depth chart, including Corey Kiner passing Trey Benson for the RB3 spot, Jalen Brooks making the roster over Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Jack Gibbens pushing Cody Simon for a starting inside linebacker job, and Denzel Burke as a favorite to start opposite Will Johnson.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Donnie Druin said
if Brooks keeps pace like this, he'll end up on the roster.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- 6 Risers, 4 Fallers Shaking Up Cardinals Depth Chart After Raiders Game
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidAug 14
- GradedSep 25
Box score, by kind
HitCloseMissWaiting| Group | Hits | Close | Misses | Waiting | Calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster Spot Calls | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Depth Chart Calls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| All | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
How each call scored
9 checkable claims — 8 depth chart calls and 1 roster spot call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 10 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 9 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.
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.
Roster Spot Calls1 hitShow ▸Hide ▾
Jalen Brooks to make the roster
“The Cardinals will have some tough conversations in regards to the WR room, but if Brooks keeps pace like this, he'll end up on the roster.”
3 weeks on a 53100Hit100 − 100 naive = 0 × 2 difficulty = 0 skill
Think 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
Depth Chart Calls8 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Karson Sharar to be a starter
“He might have just surpassed Owen Pappoe on the ILB depth chart.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Eku Leota to be 1st on the depth chart
“further drops him below camp standout Eku Leota”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Bam Knight to be 4th on the depth chart
“With Bam Knight firmly in the RB4 spot”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Jon Gaines II to be 2nd on the depth chart
“Gaines is the second-team center, though now his versatility to play along any of the three inside OL spots sees him shoot up to a replacement for any of Arizona's three starters in the interior.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
BJ Ojulari to be 2nd on the depth chart
“Ojulari's inability to again make an impact further drops him below camp standout Eku Leota.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Jack Gibbens to be 1st on the depth chart
“Gibbens tallied four tackles in his short stint on the field and has now put himself back into those starting conversations.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Denzel Burke to be 1st on the depth chart
“He's very much in the mix to start opposite of Will Johnson and could be considered a favorite.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Corey Kiner to be 3rd on the depth chart
“With Bam Knight firmly in the RB4 spot, Kiner seems to be surpassing the injured Trey Benson for the spot — ... for the spot below.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
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 depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
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In a Week 9 injury roundup, Moore forecast which banged-up fantasy contributors would play or sit: Deshaun Watson, Garrett Wilson, David Montgomery, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, TreVeyon Henderson and Terrance Ferguson are expected out, while Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley, Michael Wilson, Christian Watson and Emeka Egbuka should play. They also expect Shedeur Sanders and Drew Lock to start at quarterback.Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.Jacob Herlin · Depth Chart Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. They also expect Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter.