GLENDALE — The depth chart at the top of the wide receivers room is among the biggest no-doubters at this Arizona Cardinals training camp.
Much like we all saw last year, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson are poised to lead the room in 2025.
Start wading into the WR3 conversation, though, and things aren’t so clear cut.
But after nearly a week of camp, one thing is concrete: There’s a trio of names to watch.
Cardinals wideouts Zay Jones, Greg Dortch and Xavier Weaver have all had their moments this camp. Which one can slam the door shut on the competition? And what’s it going to take?
“If you look at kind of how we’ve operated on offense and I’ve said this in the room, show me you do something at a high level,” offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said Monday. “My job is to go figure out how to go put that into motion and put that into action for our offense.”
“Let’s see who makes plays, you know what I mean? It’s been a good back and forth with those DBs right now,” head coach Jonathan Gannon added Sunday. “But at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to the point of attack for those guys and what roles they can carve out, get on the same page as the quarterback, fit in and do well and make plays for us, because we’re going to need them, too.”
From a playmaking standpoint, Jones appears to have the upper hand on his counterparts, whether it be during team work or during 1-on-1s.
Zay Jones vs. Elijah Jones pic.twitter.com/cjsuRNTTxj
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 30, 2025
Experience-wise, there’s not a better option.
Across eight NFL seasons between Buffalo, Oakland/Las Vegas, Jacksonville and Arizona, Jones has 115 games (69 starts) under his belt. That includes his career best of 82 catches for 823 yards with the Jaguars in 2022.
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Jones’ Arizona tenure didn’t get off on the right foot behind a five-game suspension to start 2024.
Upon his reinstatement, his role was limited at best behind eight catches for 84 yards and no scores. He averaged 10.5 yards per catch.
But with another offseason in Arizona, the veteran’s role could and should take a leap.
“He’s launching, he’s getting open, he’s catching it,” Gannon said Tuesday. “He looks good. He looks really good. He can play multiple positions and he’s a big fast guy. He’s got a really good feel and instincts. He’s played a lot of ball.
“I think just the accumulation of reps with Kyler throughout last year, the spring, the summer, right now, you see it showing up.”
Jones would not only serve as a bigger target out of the slot, he has the versatility to play all three positions. That’s something that’ll come in handy with the added pre-snap motions seen at camp and Harrison’s movement all over the field. Having a trio of wideouts all standing at least 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds never hurts.
If Jones can stack some more practices and have his play bleed into the preseason, there’s no doubt he’ll have a much more impactful role in 2025.
Greg Dortch still in the conversation
Jones has taken the early lead, but not far behind him sits Dortch.
Arizona’s de facto slot man across the past few seasons is still very much in the mix to be a weekly contributor.
It just might look a little different.
On top of his play as a receiver, Dortch is once again going to be counted on in the return game.
His role on that side of the football could increase, too.
“I would be shocked if the return rate is not 70-plus percent,” special teams coordinator and associate head coach Jeff Rodgers said during minicamp when asked about the added five yards on touchbacks.
That kind of added workload as a returner alongside DeeJay Dallas could cut into his offensive usage.
Xavier Weaver’s next step
Second-year pro Xavier Weaver could be the missing link the Cardinals need in the receiving game after bulking up while maintaining his speed this offseason.
He’s done some things at camp already, too, working with the second-team offense the majority of the time. Weaver’s also shown his ability to stick with it, staying after practice to work on routes with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett and others.
But with the pads now on, Gannon is looking for Weaver to make that next jump.
“Win 1-on-1s at the point of attack,” Gannon said when asked about Weaver’s next step. “I actually thought that he needed to win a little bit more yesterday, truthfully.
“But he can get open, he can catch it. It’s going to be when there’s color on color, do you make (the play)? That’s what I’m looking for from him.”
At least during 1-on-1 work, Weaver did just that, juking rookie cornerback and potential starter Will Johnson.
Now, it’s about doing it on a consistent basis.
The Cardinals have plenty of options at WR3. They just need someone to take it.
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