19 days till the Cardinals' season opener against the Bills

The Arizona Cardinals are one week away from the deadline to get their roster down to 53 players. They are five days away from their final preseason game, which is Sunday on the road against the Denver Broncos.

And as of today, they are 19 days away from their first regular season game, a road contest on September 8 against the Buffalo Bills.

No. 19 on the Cardinals’ roster is currently quarterback Desmond Ridder. Ridder has not yet played a regular-season game for the Cardinals.

He was acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Falcons for receiver Rondale Moore and was expected to be the Cardinals’ backup quarterback. However, his play in the offseason and preseason, combined with the progress of second-year quarterback Clayton Tune, has it appearing that he might not make the team.

No. 19 has not been a big-impact number historically for the Cardinals. It was third-string Trace McSorley’s number last season.

Quarterbacks John Skelton and Tom Tupa wore it.

The last player to make even a reasonable impact was receiver KeeSean Johnson. Johnson was drafted in the sixth round in 2019 out of Fresno State and showed promise as a pass catcher in preseason games and in training camp. He had 21 receptions as a rookie for 187 yards and a touchdown.

He played two seasons for the Cardinals, finishing with 36 receptions for 360 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t catch an other NFL pass after that.

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