The Sports Xchange

TEMPE, Ariz. — This is Bruce Arians’ third Arizona Cardinals team, and, he said, his most talented.

Arians has said similar things the previous two years, too, but it’s hard to argue this year. Quarterback Carson Palmer is healthy and entirely comfortable in Arians’ system. There is depth on both the offensive and defensive line, and playmakers on offense and in the secondary.

The depth on the line of scrimmage, however, will be tested early in the season. Nose tackle Corey Peters suffered a torn Achilles in the preseason and is out for the year. Replacing him is rookie Rodney Gunter, a fourth-round pick.

On offense, left guard Mike Iupati is expected to miss at least the first two games after having knee surgery in August. Right tackle Bobby Massie is suspended for the first two games.

With those two in the lineup, the Cardinals would have opened the season with their best offensive line in at least a decade. Now they are shuffling. Ted Larsen, last year’s starter at left guard, takes over for Iupati.

And the right tackle is likely to be Earl Watford, whose main position is guard. But the Cardinals tried two others at right tackle, Bradley Sowell and first-round pick D.J. Humphries, before turning to Watford.

So the position obviously is a problem, especially when Palmer’s health is paramount to having a successful season.

The Cardinals need to start the season quickly. Three of the first four games are at home. The first five are against NFC opponents.

They need to emerge from that stretch with a winning record because six of the next eight are on the road.

–Cardinals officials haven’t been available for interviews since Friday morning, just a few hours before the team traded with the Eagles for quarterback Matt Barkley.

But it’s easy to see what the Cardinals are thinking. They released Logan Thomas, a fourth-round pick in 2014, and Phillip Sims, a rookie free agent, to go with Barkley.

The Cardinals obviously gave up on Thomas, who showed progress in preseason but was erratic during his time with the club.

Sims didn’t do enough to convince the Cardinals he was worthy of being No. 3. The Cardinals gave up little in exchange for Barkley — a seventh-round pick if he’s on the roster for at least six games.

The biggest question about Barkley is a lack of arm strength, perhaps a result of a shoulder injury suffered his senior year at USC.

Perhaps he would benefit from following the same shoulder rehab protocol Carson Palmer did this offseason. Palmer’s passes have more zip on them. The two former USC quarterbacks reportedly are close, so Arizona should be a good spot for Barkley.

–Guard Mike Iupati is progressing well after knee surgery last month. Word around the team is they are hoping he can play in Week 3 against the 49ers. Arians is not talking about a timetable, however. “As soon as I do, then (his knee) will swell up. I’m not jinxing him,” the head coach said.

–It paid off for right tackle Bobby Massie to appeal his three-game suspension. It was reduced to two. The discipline is a result of Massie being arrested in January on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Massie was arrested the day before the Super Bowl after a security guard at the Cardinals’ facility reported a man asleep in his car.