Cardinals vs. Broncos: Previewing Arizona's Preseason Week 4 Matchup

The Arizona Cardinals wrap up their preseason schedule against the Broncos Thursday night in Denver, and they'll be looking to build a little momentum for the regular season.

It's been a bumpy preseason for Arizona, with the Cardinals backups giving up leads in their first two games, and the starters struggling badly against Oakland in Week 3. 

With the starters resting on Thursday night, head coach Bruce Arians will look for the final pieces of the roster puzzle to step up. Week 4 of the preseason is the closest a football game gets to a human interest story: Guys are playing more for jobs than anything else.

The Denver Broncos enter the game 3-0 this preseason, with new head coach Gary Kubiak guiding his team to wins over Seattle, Houston and San Francisco.

Click ahead for the full preview.

Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver.

Time: 6 p.m. MST

TV: ABC-15 (Local)

News and Notes

Matt York/Associated Press

Arizona's starters will have the night off

This isn't a surprise, but ESPN's Josh Weinfuss confirmed Monday that the Cardinals starters will not be playing against Denver. The exception, of course, will be the guys battling for jobs along the offensive line.

Chris Johnson will play

Via Weinfuss again, Arians has Johnson scheduled for up to a dozen carries on Thursday night. While the expectation has been that Johnson will make the team, Arians' comments Tuesday made it sound like nothing is guaranteed.

“It’s good to see what he is as a football player, where he’s at. Get a chance to measure him against the other guys. That’s always the evaluation process."

Barring a shocking performance or an injury, it's difficult to envision Johnson not making the team. Both Kerwynn Williams and Marion Grace are averaging below three yards per carry during the preseason, and while part of that is due to the constant struggles of the offense line, neither player has stood out.

Johnson is certainly in the twilight of his career, but he fits the role well, and the Cardinals could use a veteran presence backing up Andre Ellington while David Johnson adjusts to life in the NFL.

Phillip Sims gets the first half; Logan Thomas will get the second half

We've known for a week now that the this competition would come down to the final preseason game. Both players looked good in the comeback win against Oakland, but the extended playing time against Denver should will be the true test.

Click ahead in the slideshow for more on this position battle. 

Roster Cuts

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

In lieu of posting the weekly injury report, we're going to list the Cardinals' initial roster cuts. The final round of cuts will come following the game against Denver.

Offense:

Rob Crisp	T
Nate Isles	G
Gannon Sinclair	TE
Ryan Spadola	WR

Defense/Special Teams:

Lorenzo Alexander	LB
Glenn Carson	LB
Edwin Jackson	LB
Andrae Kirk	LB
Shaquille Richardson	S
Darren Woodard	S
Dave Zastudil	P

Alexander and Zastudil are the biggest names on the list, with Alexander making an appearance in all 16 games last year, while Zastudil spent the past four seasons with the Cardinals. Drew Butler has won the starting punter job.

The bigger task comes later in the week, with Steve Keim and his staff having until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to trim the roster from 75 to 53 players.  

Position Battles: Offense

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Shuffling around the offensive line?

Darren Urban had an interesting note on the official website on Tuesday, pointing out that Earl Watford was now listed as the first-team right tackle on the Cardinals depth chart. Bradley Sowell hasn't been stellar filling in for Bobby Massie on the right side, but Bruce Arians hinted during Monday's press conference that Sowell was still the team's swing tackle. He'll start on the left side Thursday.

Meanwhile, there has been no change between A.Q. Shipley and Lyle Sendlein in the battle for the center position. Shipley will work with the starters while Sendlein works with the second-string. 

Don't expect Arians to commit to much along the offensive line until both Massie and Mike Iupati return during the regular season. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the battle for jobs continue until then.

Phillip Sims vs. Logan Thomas

Sims and Thomas are battling for the third quarterback job, with each slated to play a half against Denver. As was the case against Oakland, Sims will see the field first. Here are the preseason numbers for each player:

Sims: 14 of 29, 160 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

Thomas: 12 of 24, 172 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Not much has separated either player, with both leading touchdown drives against Oakland. The fact that Thomas, a 2014 fourth-round pick, hasn't separated himself from Sims, an undrafted rookie free agent, is a worrying sign. Regardless, the Cardinals hope neither is forced into action this season. 

Will Arizona keep six wide receivers?

During Monday's press conference, Arians wouldn't rule out the possibility of the team keeping six wide receivers on the roster. We know Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown and J.J. Nelson will have jobs, leaving Jaxon Shipley, Jaron Brown and Brittan Golden to fight for one or two potential roster spots.

Golden is currently listed as the starting kick and punt returner on the depth chart, and he leads the Cardinals with eight receptions during the preseason. Shipley had a strong performance as a kick returner against Kansas City, so he's a threat on special teams, too.

For now, Brown is looking like the odd man out, but all three still have one more chance to make a statement. 

Position Battles: Defense

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Fourth cornerback

Patrick Peterson and Jerraud Powers are locked in as the starting corners, with Justin Bethel handling nickel duties. The latest depth chart has Jimmy Legree slotted in as Peterson's backup, although that's far from certain. 

Cariel Brooks gave himself a lifeline with an 81-yard interception return for a touchdown against Oakland, and another strong performance could earn him a place on the depth chart. It's also possible Steve Keim grabs someone off waivers following Saturday's cut-down day. 

None of Arizona's backup corners has fared particularly well in the preseason, with Legree, Brooks and C.J. Roberts all earning negative grades from Pro Football Focus. 

Inside linebacker

Arizona's safety rotation makes the inside linebacker depth chart a slippery thing to get a grasp on, but Fox Sports 910's Mike Jurecki figures Alani Fua and Gabe Martin are battling for the last spot at the position.

Sean Weatherspoon and Kevin Minter are nominally the starters, although Deone Bucannon will continue to see time at linebacker. Kenny Demens is likely the first backup off the bench.

Pro Football Focus has given both Fua and Martin positive grades during the preseason, with Fua standing out in passing situations and Martin succeeding against the run. Martin may have the edge as the run stopper given Bucannon's addition to the rotation in subpackages. 

Prediction: Broncos 24, Cardinals 19

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

This isn't so much a prediction as much as it's an out-and-out guess. The game itself is not irrelevant, but the outcome is, even compared to other preseason contests. 

Denver has been energized by new coach Gary Kubiak and has played well this preseason. In fact, the surprising about the Broncos campaign has been the struggles of Peyton Manning. His backups, Brock Osweiler and Trevor Siemian, have both proven capable against backups.

For Arizona, Chris Johnson and quarterbacks Phillip Sims and Logan Thomas will earn most of the attention, but the game boils down to three points:

1. Avoiding injuries.
2. Finding some level of consistency along the offensive line.
3. Avoiding injuries. 

Look for Denver to grab the win but Arizona to wrap up their preseason with a little momentum of their own. It's been a grind, but we finally saw some of the depth guys make plays on Sunday night.

Final: Broncos 24, Cardinals 19