ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Cardinals' roster appears strongest in the defensive front seven after the team added role players Clark Haggans, Travis LaBoy and Bryan Robinson in free agency. Serious depth issues on the offensive line threaten the offense. Left guard Reggie Wells has the versatility and talent to play left tackle if needed -- Mike Gandy briefly left the exhibition finale with a knee injury -- but another casualty at center could prove insurmountable.

The way I see it, the Cardinals almost have to keep Pat Ross as insurance behind center Lyle Sendlein. Scouts I've spoken with see Ross as severely overmatched. I saw this as well when watching him work against the Raiders in the third exhibition game. The scout saw serious depth issues for any team that kept Ross on its 53-man roster.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic has also taken a stab at the Cardinals' roster. I put Brandon Moore on the roster. He did not. He put Oliver Celestin on the roster. I did not. Celestin has a history with Cardinals defensive backs coach Teryl Austin, but Moore has a history with linebackers coach Billy Davis.

Here's a quick look at which Cardinals players I might keep on the cutdown to 53 players:

Quarterbacks

• Projected keepers (3) -- Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart, Brian St. Pierre
• Projected to miss cut (1) -- Anthony Morelli
• Key issue -- Will coach Ken Whisenhunt name Warner or Leinart to start?

Running backs

• Projected keepers (5) -- J.J. Arrington, Edgerrin James, Tim Hightower, Terrelle Smith, Tim Castille
• Projected to miss cut (2) -- Chris Vincent, Steve Baylark
• Key issue -- Hightower appears ready to siphon off some of James' carries. Can he handle the finer points of the position, notably pass protection? And can he stop fumbling? Rookie runners can have a hard time protecting the football. Hightower's slippery fingers might make coaches nervous. James remains a workhorse, but he won't get far even if he makes the first defender miss.

Receivers

• Projected keepers (6) -- Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, Early Doucet, Anquan Boldin, Jerheme Urban, Sean Morey
• Projected to miss cut (2) -- Jamaica Rector, Lance Long
• Key issue -- Can Breaston function as a quality third receiver? Doucet's hamstring injury forced him to miss much of camp. Is his rookie season a wash?

Tight ends

• Projected keepers (3) -- Leonard Pope, Jerame Tuman, Ben Patrick
• Projected to miss cut (2) -- Alex Shor, Brent Miller
• Key issue -- The Cardinals still aren't sure if they have a quality all-around tight end. Pope has worked hard to improve. A high ankle sprain hurt Patrick during camp.
  

Offensive line

• Projected keepers (9) -- Al Johnson, Elton Brown, Lyle Sendlein, Mike Gandy, Brandon Keith, Reggie Wells, Levi Brown, Deuce Lutui, Pat Ross
• Projected to miss cut (5) -- Peter Clifford, Kelly Butler, Carlton Medder, Elliot Vallejo, Jasper Harvey
• Key issue -- The depth here is problematic. Ross is clearly a liability at center, but the Cardinals might need to keep him while Johnson recovers from injury. Coaches think Vallejo has potential.

Defensive line

• Projected keepers (7) -- Alan Branch, Darnell Dockett, Kenny Iwebema, Calais Campbell, Antonio Smith, Bryan Robinson, Gabe Watson
• Projected to miss cut (3) -- Jason Banks, Keilen Dykes, Joe Tafoya
• Key issue -- Can Berry and LaBoy hold up physically? How serious is the injury Branch suffered Friday night? How much does Robinson have left at age 34? Tafoya has been a productive special-teams player over the years. The numbers appear stacked against him.

Linebackers

• Projected keepers (9) -- Travis LaBoy, Bert Berry, Clark Haggans, Gerald Hayes, Chike Okeafor, Brandon Moore, Ali Highsmith, Karlos Dansby, Monty Beisel
  
• Projected to miss cut (2) -- Matt Stewart, Chris Harrington
• Key issue -- Can Okeafor hold up? He missed the 2007 regular season. Beisel's back injury prevented him from competing early in camp. Beisel, Stewart, Moore and Highsmith are reportedly competing for two spots. I gave the Cardinals an extra player at the position.

Defensive backs

• Projected keepers (8) -- Antrel Rolle, Adrian Wilson, Eric Green, Roderick Hood, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Aaron Francisco, Ralph Brown, Matt Ware
• Projected to miss cut (5) -- DeMario Minter, Michael Adams, Dennis Keyes, Travarous Bain, Oliver Celestin.
  
• Key issue -- What happens if Rolle isn't the answer at safety?

Specialists

• Projected keepers -- (3) Neil Rackers, Dirk Johnson, Nathan Hodel
• Projected to miss cut (0) -- None
• Key issue -- Can Rackers regain his consistency?