# Donnie Druin: 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. **Claimed:** Aug 14, 2026 **Pundit:** Donnie Druin — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/donnie-druin **Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/onsi/6-risers-4-fallers-shaking-up-arizona-cardinals-depth-chart-after-las-vegas-raiders-game 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. > if Brooks keeps pace like this, he'll end up on the roster. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Jalen Brooks to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Jalen Brooks, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Karson Sharar to be a starter** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Karson Sharar, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet - **Eku Leota to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Eku Leota, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet - **Bam Knight to be 4th on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jon Gaines II to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jon Gaines II, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet - **BJ Ojulari to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: BJ Ojulari, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jack Gibbens to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jack Gibbens, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet - **Denzel Burke to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Denzel Burke, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet - **Corey Kiner to be 3rd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Corey Kiner, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Jalen Brooks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jalen-brooks - Arizona Cardinals — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cardinals - Karson Sharar — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/karson-sharar - Eku Leota — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/eku-leota - Bam Knight — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/bam-knight - Jon Gaines II — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jon-gaines-ii - BJ Ojulari — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/bj-ojulari - Jack Gibbens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jack-gibbens - Denzel Burke — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/denzel-burke - Corey Kiner — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/corey-kiner ## What others said about the same people - Garrett Podell on Carson Beck: Podell argues the Cardinals have maxed out with Jacoby Brissett and that rookie Carson Beck should be ramped up to replace them as starter, targeting Week 8 at Dallas for Beck's regular-season debut. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2f499498-ebbe-41f8-8ea3-41fe96f79432 (scored 0) - Jesse Holley on Arizona Cardinals: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c8bf64dc-c1b3-42db-86f8-51b862676332 (scored 100) - Garrett Podell on Arizona Cardinals: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5e8e3212-036d-46f2-8339-92fbb0e4be71 (scored 0) - Tyler Sullivan on Arizona Cardinals: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/acdebc00-85f6-4a9d-9cd8-f803aaebe525 (scored 0) - Tyler Sullivan on Arizona Cardinals: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/97bc793d-c9fd-46fc-9ecb-2df22b1100ac (scored 23.81) - Tyler Sullivan on Arizona Cardinals: Sullivan flagged Week 5 upset candidates, pointing to the Cardinals knocking off the favored Lions and the 49ers beating the Seahawks on the road. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/84c6cb38-3454-496e-ba3d-b66e81dea9eb (scored 0) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Jeremy Brener on Drew Lock: Brener picked the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in Week 9 by a multi-score margin, giving a final score of 27-13, and expressed confidence Seattle would be fine with Drew Lock starting at quarterback. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7eb2d245-63d0-4be0-80ba-3f60197e2b16 (scored 100) - Jeremy Brener on Jalen Milroe: Brener suggests Seattle may turn to rookie-contract quarterback Jalen Milroe for their first career start in Week 9 against the Cardinals, with Sam Darnold ruled out and Drew Lock dealing with an elbow injury. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/42d1bd81-5e19-456e-9f68-b3b135170ec0 (scored 0) - Michael Moore on Shedeur Sanders: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e26319a3-10aa-49a6-a24d-a257521363f0 (scored 100) - Zachary Pereles on Shedeur Sanders: Pereles writes that if Deshaun Watson can't clear concussion protocol in time, the Browns would likely turn to second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders to start Week 9 against the Saints. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/6dad75dd-1818-4a6a-91ea-832f491c2530 (scored 100) - Nic Bodiford on Joe Fagnano: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a13b9f29-bb76-4c56-b226-aca74b21f5b7 (scored 100) - Jacob Herlin on J.J. McCarthy: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cf4a2992-3760-464e-b540-6182ebc4457f (scored 100) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=donnie-druin