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Cardinals plan to play Carson Palmer more in preseason games

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians doesn't plan to play Carson Palmer in the first or last presason games, but he will see increased snaps in the others. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports via USA TODAY NETWORK

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The preseason is usually when teams rest their starters for the regular season.

That's what the Arizona Cardinals did last year. This year, however, coach Bruce Arians will change his approach a bit. Quarterback Carson Palmer can expect to play more this preseason, Arians said on Saturday.

But it won't come in the preseason opener -- the Hall of Fame Game -- on Aug. 3. Arians ruled Palmer and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and possibly linebacker Karlos Dansby, out of that game, but said Palmer can expect more reps in the games he does play in.

"He'll probably play more than he did last year," Arians said. "We'll play our starters more than we did last year."

Arians wasn't talking about rewriting preseason norms. Instead of playing, say, six plays in a preseason game, Palmer may get 12 snaps.

As usual, Palmer will have his most playing time in the Cardinals' fourth preseason game -- which is the rest of the league's third. Arians said the plan is to play Palmer more in Arizona's third and fourth preseason games and not at all in the finale on Aug. 31 at Denver.

Last season, Palmer didn't finish the first quarter in the second preseason game and took three snaps in the second quarter of the third preseason game before he was replaced by Drew Stanton. That'll change this season.

And Palmer has accepted Arians' decision.

"I'm excited about camp. I'm excited about preseason games," Palmer said. "I'm ready to work. I'm available and I'm going to do what I'm told as far as that's concerned."