The Arizona Cardinals are looking to put together a complete season. After falling apart down the stretch of the previous two seasons, the hope is that with a revamped roster, Arizona will be able to put together a deep playoff run in the weakened NFC.

The Cardinals have proven that they have the talent to beat any team. They also have the talent to beat themselves from time to time as well. Finding a way to become more consistent during star quarterback Kyler Murray's fourth season with the team is going to be crucial to their success during the 2022 season.

Murray has a good squad of players around him to help make his life easier. But there is a lot of competition heading into the 2022 season on their roster, and it could result in some current first-string starters losing their starting job. Let's take a look at two of the Cardinals current starters whose starting jobs could be in jeopardy heading into the 2022 campaign.

2 Cardinals first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs in 2022

2. Dennis Gardeck

Dennis Gardeck is presumably going to be the guy tasked with taking over Chandler Jones' role heading into the 2022 season. Gardeck won't be expected to single-handedly replace Jones' production on his own, but he figures to be the guy who gets the starting nod on a weekly basis it seems.

Gardeck exploded onto the scene as a pass-rush specialist in 2020 when he picked up seven sacks despite playing just ten percent of Arizona'a defensive snaps. The problem is that in his three other seasons in the NFL, Gardeck has failed to record a single sack. He's primarily been a special teams player throughout the early stages of his career, but with Jones' departure leaving a huge hole on defense, somebody is going to have to step up and fill the void.

Gardeck has his name etched in as a starter on the depth chart right now, but it's not exactly set in stone. He's been wildly inconsistent to start his career, and the Cardinals have a pair of young players behind Gardeck who could take his spot.

Victor Dimukeje was a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he's been one of the more impressive players throughout training camp for Arizona so far. He picked up two sacks and a forced fumble in the Cardinals preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. He may not even earn a roster spot at this point, but if he does, he's probably going to command some snaps in place of Gardeck.

Behind Dimukeje on the depth chart is Cameron Thomas, who was a third-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Thomas hasn't shined like Dimukeje has early on, but it's clear he has upside, and if he can make an impact over the next two preseason games, Gardeck's starting gig could be in real trouble. As of right now, Gardeck has the inside track, but his starting role isn't necessarily secure, and it wouldn't be surprising to see one of Arizona's younger players emerge and send him back to the bench.

1. Zach Ertz

Zach Ertz finally found a new home with the Cardinals midway through last season after he was boxed out of the Philadelphia Eagles offense by Dallas Goedert. Ertz became one of Murray's favorite targets down the stretch, in part because he had virtually no one else to throw the football to. Ertz is heading into the 2022 season as Arizona's top tight end, but he has some competition for the job.

For starters, it's worth noting that Ertz very well may be declining right in front of our eyes. He struggled to get anything going during his last season and a half with the Eagles, although his production with the Cardinals certainly eased concerns. But if he struggles at any point, he could be in jeopardy of losing his job.

His real competition at the position is going to end up being Trey McBride. McBride has had a slow start to his tenure with the Cardinals thanks to a back injury, which ended up holding him out of Arizona's preseason contest against the Cincinnati. Maxx Williams also looms as a secondary tight end option, but he isn't really a threat to take Ertz's job.

McBride seems like the perfect complement to Ertz at tight end, but he may end up taking his job from him outright if he proves he can outproduce him. Ertz still has the inside track, but if McBride comes on strong to close out training camp and preseason play, he could end up snatching the Cardinals starting tight end job away from him.