All of the Cardinals passed their run test as training camp opened this week. That included nose tackle Dan Williams, who failed the exam each of the past two years. Williams said he weighed in at 314 pounds which is a very good sign considering the importance of his space-eating, block-eating body to the Cards’ 3-4 defense.
The other big topic was the quarterback battle between Kevin Kolb and John Skelton. Former NFL linebacker Willie McGinest fueled the fire when he told the NFL Network he has friends in the Cards’ locker room who say they are leaning toward Skelton over Kolb. But coach Ken Whisenhunt shrugged it off, saying: “When you get second-hand information like that, I don’t know how much stock you put into that.”
Who's here: Everybody. Unlike past years in this organization – and a league minus the rookie scale – contract holdouts are not a problem. All of the Cards’ rookies are signed and Arizona avoided a franchise tag fiasco by signing emerging defensive end Calais Campbell to a five-year deal. Considering all the comings and goings last year at camp and the lack of offseason workouts, 2012 feels like smooth sailing to coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff.
Who's not: The only significant players unavailable for practice are running back Beanie Wells (offseason knee surgery) and tight end Jeff King (quadriceps), who both began camp on the active PUP (physically unable to perform) list. Both are eligible to come off that list at any point in camp and count against the training camp roster. Wells refused to put a timeline on his return. “I don't think anybody wants to see a 75 percent Beanie Wells. Everybody wants to see a 100 percent Beanie Wells. There's no question I'll be ready for the season opener.”
For more news and analysis from Cardinals blogger Craig Morgan, follow @CBSSportsNFLARI on Twitter