Cardinals’ wide receiver Greg Dortch continues to impress with a 53-man roster spot up for grabs

Former Wake Forest product made practice squad stints with four different teams since 2019

At the time of the Greg Dortch signing in early August, he was considered by many to be just a camp body. Christian Kirk was sidelined with a “minor” injury and now former Cardinal Rico Gafford was on the Reserve/COVID-19 list at the time. The Cardinals needed an extra pair of hands and got it with this addition.

Now after his eye-catching performances through the first two preseason games, Dortch is making a strong case at a Cardinals’ 53-man roster spot.

So far, he has hauled in all five of his targets for 71 yards.

Though his stats are not very marveling, Dortch was easily the Cardinals’ second-best receiver after Rondale Moore this preseason.

He made an incredible 20-yard catch in traffic with a defender all over him against the Dallas Cowboys as well as a 19-yard bobbling catch with good concentration against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dortch may be small, standing at 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds, but all he has done is made plays throughout training camp and the preseason when he was presented with opportunities.

With that said, his journey in the NFL has not been the easiest one.

In 2019, Dortch signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent and landed on their practice squad after final cuts. Later that year, the Carolina Panthers signed him to their 53-man roster where he played in two games but was also waived twice. He contributed primarily as a return specialist with five kick returns for 119 yards and four punt returns for 28 yards. He made practice squad stints with the Rams and Falcons as well before signing with the Cardinals.

You can call him a practice squad journeyman but Dortch’s undrafted status came as a surprise considering his success at the college level.

He had two productive years at Wake Forest where he finished his college football career with 142 receptions, 1,800 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns. His totals are ranked ninth, 13th, and eighth respectively in school history. He was also a dynamic punt returner as he tied the ACC record with two PR touchdowns in a single game in 2018.

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Despite the bumps in his young career, the 23-year-old’s drive to play has not wavered. He has built a strong rapport with Colt McCoy and especially with third-string quarterback Chris Streveler. He has taken advantage of every rep and opportunity that he has received.

Dortch can return punts, kicks, and line up in the slot. He consistently finds ways to get open.

I get it. It is only the preseason. Try not to get ahead of ourselves.

However, there is no denying how fun it has been to watch No. 38 on the Arizona Cardinals.

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DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and Rondale Moore are the only receivers that are guaranteed roster spots. That leaves two or even three more receiver spots available with the Cardinals.

The spotlight is on Greg Dortch. He is turning heads. The final week of the preseason is upon us as the Cardinals faceoff against the New Orleans Saints on August 28 at 8 P.M. EDT.

This is his time to shine as he is making a legitimately strong case for a 53-man roster spot.