The Cardinals lost both their starting inside linebackers from last season with Daryl Washington suspended and Karlos Dansby signing with the Browns as a free agent, thrusting second-year player Kevin Minter into a prominent role on the defense.
Arizona hasn’t gotten much of a look at how he’s handling it this summer. Minter played five snaps in the first preseason game, but has been sidelined for the last week with a pectoral injury. Mike Jurecki of 910 AM in Phoenix reports that the Cardinals are considering holding him out for the rest of the preseason in hopes of getting him right in time for the start of the regular season.
If the rest doesn’t get Minter back on the field, surgery that would keep him out for a major chunk of the season would be a possibility.
Desmond Bishop, who played 15 snaps on Saturday after signing with the team last week, and Kenny Demens are potential replacements for Minter alongside Larry Foote. However things shake out, it doesn’t look like the position will be the same strength for the team that it was last season.