When Jacoby Brissett returned to full practice reps earlier this week, following the conclusion of his contract negotiation saga, he immediately elevated the first-team offense. Head coach Mike LaFleur even acknowledged that practice on Friday, July 31 was the best that his group has looked since training camp began.
But two days later, Brissett and the Cardinals’ offense took a step backward.
Most notably, Brissett finished the day with two interceptions. Both resulted from poor reads. On the first, he threw directly at cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who undercut an out route from Michael Wilson. On the second, he never saw linebacker Cody Simon gaining depth in the flat, where he stepped in front of Marvin Harrison Jr. on another out route.
With Brissett struggling, Harrison finished the day without a single catch on just one target. Wilson caught one ball on his two targets. The lone bright spot for the starting offense was Trey McBride, who caught all six of his targets, including a touchdown during red zone work.
The biggest silver lining, though, came from the backups. Carson Beck had his best day of training camp, with a few standout throws. On one, he layered a perfect pass over a linebacker to hit Simi Fehoko over the middle. On the very next play, he stepped through a muddled pocket to find Xavier Weaver for a touchdown. Later, he went back to Weaver on the goal line, with a well-placed ball where only Weaver could catch it.
Offensive line struggles again
It’s been a difficult training camp for the Cardinals’ offensive line. While their wide receivers have done well finding space at the second level, the trenches have — without question — been won by the defense.
That was especially clear on Sunday, Aug. 2.
All day, the Cardinals’ starting offensive line struggled to create any space for the running game — a consistent theme of camp. It performed slightly better in pass protection, but right tackle Elijah Wilkinson continued what has been a difficult training camp, with multiple poor reps.
At one point, the Cardinals even shuffled the hierarchy up front, bringing rookie Chase Bisontis into the first team at right guard, while Isaiah Adams slid to left guard with Isaac Seumalo moving to the bench. Bisontis immediately made a nice block to help open a hole for Jeremiyah Love, although he did whiff on a block with the second team later in the day. He only remained in for one drive before Seumalo returned.
When asked about Bisontis, the coaching staff has praised his blocking ability, while saying that he needs to adjust to the schematic challenges posed by NFL defenses. His series with the starting offense could indicate that he is progressing in that area.
Trey Benson absent
Running back Trey Benson was not spotted during practice, either during individual or team work. Benson had previously been practicing with the second-team offense after returning from the torn meniscus that ended his 2025 season.
It could be an uphill battle for Benson to make the roster, as he remains behind Love, Tyler Allgeier and James Conner on the depth chart. But the reason for this latest absence is not yet clear, as LaFleur did not address Benson’s situation ahead of practice.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals camp observations: Rough day for Jacoby Brissett, offense
