Cardinals break out black helmets for final week of training camp

GLENDALE, AZ — It's often said, 'look good, play good' and the Arizona Cardinals were feeling that way Monday for the start of the final week of training camp, donning their new black helmets.

"They look sharp," said head coach Kliff Kingsbury. "The players are really excited about them, and I know we'll have them for a couple games in season as well, so it's a good look."

The Cardinals will wear them this Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens in their lone preseason home game, and then again on October 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles and on October 20 against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football.

Monday was also the first time Kyler Murray, Hollywood Brown and DeAndre Hopkins were all on the field practicing together in full capacity.

"Kyler looks sharp, and Hollywood looks fast, so that's what we're looking for," Kingsbury said. "We just got to keep building that rapport."

Throw in A.J. Green and Rondale Moore with Hopkins and Brown, and the Cardinals head coach perked up.

"All four of those wideouts together look like we can have some fun with that," Kingsbury said.

As for this week's second preseason game, the Cardinals won't approach it much differently than the Cincinnati Bengals game, as it relates to starters playing.

All eyes will once again be on Zaven Collins and Marco Wilson to perform.

"The more reps they can get, the better," said Kingsbury. "They had a limited sample size, but I think they'll get challenged this week and then at Tennessee, obviously, but I'm excited to see how much they progress from week one to week two."

Sunday will be another showcase game for guys like Victor Dimukeje, the sixth-round pick out of Duke last year that had two sacks against the Bengals.

"It feels like second nature now. It's much slower," Dimukeje said of year two. "I felt like last year I was looking around a lot, like not knowing what I'm doing, but now in the Cincinnati game, I just felt natural. I felt good out there."

Greg Dortch is another guy trying to make the Cardinals' 53-man roster and he's no stranger to a challenge.

"I'm not a big guy. I really wasn't even supposed to be here," said Dortch. "I've been cut five times, undrafted, coming out of high school I didn't have big, major D1 offers. I've just made the most of every opportunity that I've had up to this point."

Dortch has arguably been the training camp MVP to this point, making plays daily in practice and then once again in the preseason opener in Cincinnati.

"He's got a tremendous ability to make plays," said Kingsbury. "His biggest deal is just getting our offense down pat where he knows it inside and out, is comfortable and can play fast within our system and consistently do that."

Dortch turned heads on the practice squad last year after getting a call to try out for the Cardinals a day before he was leaving for Canada to play in the CFL.

"Now I've had a whole OTA offseason with the playbook, and now training camp, so I'm getting more and more comfortable, and I feel like Friday you could kind of see that." said Dortch.

Dortch had four catches for 53 yards, along with a 55-yard punt return.

The New York Jets were the first of five NFL teams Dortch has made the rounds with since 2019. Cardinals wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson was with the Jets then scouting Dortch out of Wake Forest.

"I watched his film, I was like, 'man, I would love to go out and work this guy out', so I went down to a private workout to work this guy out," said Jefferson. "I tried to break this kid, like I tried a two-minute individual [drill], he just would not quit. Watching film on him, he was like five feet nothing, but he's making plays all over the place."

"He was the only coach that came to Wake Forest and work me out," said Dortch. "So for him to believe in me and want to give me another workout with the Cardinals, it meant a lot. I want to be able to prove myself right but also prove him right."

It may be an oft-used cliche, but Dortch’s journey is the very definition of picking oneself off the mat time and time again.

"I love this game of football. Like, I've worked my whole life to get here and to be cut five times, three times my rookie year, I started looking for a regular job. Like it was like that serious," he said. "Just to be here again, like, I won't take this for granted. It means everything to me."