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Cardinals’ Reggie Virgil: Team-high catch total in defeat
Virgil secured five of six targets for 66 yards in the Cardinals‘ 33-30 preseason loss to the Panthers on Thursday.
The rookie fifth-round pick led the Cardinals in receptions and targets while finishing second in receiving yards on the night to Jalen Brooks. Virgil is battling Brooks and veterans such as Devin Duvernay and Simi Fehoko for a spot on the latter portion of the wide-receiver depth chart, and Virgil got his quest off to an excellent start Thursday. Given the promise he showed, Virgil should continue seeing plenty of snaps in the Cardinals’ preseason game on the road against the Raiders next Thursday.
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Cardinals’ Bam Knight: Impressive to open preseason
Knight rushed 12 times for 60 yards in the Cardinals‘ 33-30 preseason loss to the Panthers on Thursday. He also fumbled once but recovered.
The journeyman back is looking to run it back with the Cardinals after making a positive impression during an injury-riddled 2025 for the Arizona backfield. Knight started Thursday’s game and saw action into the first drive of the second half, fumbling at the end of his longest run of the night — 15 yards — late in the second quarter but falling back on the ball. Knight finished as the team leader in rushing yards, but he figures to have an uphill battle to stick on the final roster in a very crowded running back room headlined by rookie first-round pick Jeremiyah Love along with Tyler Allgeier, James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson.
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Cardinals’ Jalen Brooks: Makes impact downfield in loss
Brooks secured three of four targets for 99 yards in the Cardinals‘ 33-30 preseason loss to the Panthers on Thursday.
Brooks led the Cardinals in receiving yards on the night, getting a major boost from two long catches in the first half. Brooks first recorded a 35-yard grab from Carson Beck on the Cardinals’ second possession, and he subsequently set Arizona up at the Panthers’ 17-yard line with a 49-yard reception down the left side of the field early in the second quarter. The stellar showing was critical for Brooks, who’s looking to stick as a reserve option in a fairly crowded Cardinals receiver room. The 2023 seventh-round pick of the Cowboys will look to carry over the momentum into Arizona’s second preseason game next Thursday night in Las Vegas.
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Cardinals’ Carson Beck: Stellar in preseason debut
Beck started Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game against the Panthers and completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions while adding two rushes for three yards.
The rookie third-round pick had built significant momentum in training camp leading into Thursday’s preseason opener, and Beck looked every bit as sharp as he’d often had during recent practices. The UM product showed immediate command of the offense by spreading the ball around to seven different pass catchers over his first two drives, and he put together a masterful march on his second possession that spanned 13 plays, 96 yards and 7:17 of game time. Beck showed off his deep ball with a 35-yard strike to Jalen Brooks during the drive, and he narrowly missed his first touchdown pass when Corey Kiner was brought down inside the 1-yard line on a catch. However, Beck would make up for it the next time he had the ball, moving the Cardinals 60 yards on four plays with the help of a 49-yard connection with Brooks and capping the drive off with a deft five-yard fade in the right corner of the end zone to Simi Fehoko. Beck played the entirety of the first half and certainly gave a nearly impeccable accounting of himself in his pro debut, and he’s expected to continue seeing plenty of opportunity in Arizona’s second preseason game on the road against the Raiders next Thursday.