Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said this offseason that he believes quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich has what it takes to move up the ladder to head coach in the NFL and he’ll be giving him a little more responsibility when the Cardinals host the Raiders on Saturday night.
Arians said on Wednesday, via Darren Urban of the team’s website, that Leftwich will be the offensive play caller for the preseason matchup with Oakland. Offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin called the plays in the Hall of Fame Game.
Leftwich is in his first season as an assistant on Arians’ staff after serving as an intern last season, so he’s getting his first shot at handling play calls early in his coaching career. Leftwich does have ample experience relaying and executing calls after spending a decade playing quarterback in the NFL, however.
Leftwich entered the league in 2003, which is the same year as the guy who will be executing some of his play calls this weekend. Carson Palmer is actually a bit older than Leftwich, who went six picks after Palmer in the 2003 draft.