Cardinals Bubble Watch: CB A.J. Jefferson outside looking in

There won’t be any major surprises when the Cardinals trim their roster to 53 players following the final two preseason games. But a few names that have contributed the past two seasons could be moving on. Here’s a look at three of those players.

A.J. Jefferson (CB, third year, 2011 opening day starter) -- Defensive coordinator Ray Horton wants to keep a glut of DBs this season to guard against injuries, but Jefferson is still a victim of the numbers game because the Cards have plenty of NFL caliber players in camp. Patrick Peterson is a lock at one spot. The guess is Jefferson loses out to veteran William Gay, who played for Horton in Pittsburgh; Greg Toler, who was the starter before an ACL injury shelved him for 2011; promising rookie Jamell Fleming; and veteran Michael Adams, who is a standout special teams player.
Alfonso Smith (RB, third year, appeared in 156 games in 2011) -- Smith was a steady if unspectacular contributor in 2011. That was fine for a fourth-string back last year, but William Powell has made several plays in the preseason to wrest the job away from Smith.
Rich Bartel (QB, fourth year) -- Bartel is the classic third-string NFL quarterback -- a player who bounced from club to club because he has decent skills and smarts, but lacks eye-popping ability. With rookie Ryan Lindley showing off a big arm in the preseason, Bartel will be on to his next venture.