TEMPE, Ariz. -- I thought predicting the Cardinals’ 53-man roster after three weeks of OTAs and a week of minicamp would be easy.

There would be the mainstays -- Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Ellington, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, among others -- and there would be the young guys who impressed, like rookie running back David Johnson.

The first 46 players followed my initial line of thinking. Positions started to fill out nicely.

Then I made more “cuts” and decisions … but got stuck at 56.

Those final three “cuts” were tough because the Cardinals’ 90-man roster is so deep. As I was going position-by-position, I also took into consideration what general manager Steve Keim said this week about potentially trading away some of the Cards’ depth.

There wasn’t one decision that was harder to make than all the others. They were all consistently tough and I ended up questioning all of them.

My decision to “cut” Logan Thomas may change through the summer and into training camp, but after what I saw from him during minicamp, his spot on the roster isn’t a sure thing.

With the addition of Johnson to the backfield, I think that will cost Marion Grice a spot on the roster, and keeping five running backs isn’t likely, which means Kerwynn Williams would be the odd man out. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said this week that Williams is a better receiver during practices than in games. Guard/center Ted Larsen and tackle Bradley Sowell were potential “cuts” but with uncertainty about how D.J. Humphries will pan out as a rookie, Sowell made sense to keep, And Larsen would be the back-up center.

Arians talked about wanting to keep eight or nine defensive linemen, and with 10 currently on the roster, narrowing the position by two left defensive end Josh Mauro and defensive tackle Xavier Williams. As a rookie, I’d expect Williams, if he doesn’t make the roster, to end up on the Cardinals’ practice squad.

Glenn Carson was a tough decision because he was on the team last year and a solid special teams player. But with Arizona likely to keep only four inside linebackers, rookie Gabe Martin has looked impressive enough during OTAs and minicamp to leap over Carson.

My decision to “cut” LaMarr Woodley at outside linebacker may be the biggest surprise on the roster. He’s an Arians favorite and a veteran who, when healthy, is capable of double-digit sacks. But Keim also likes to build for the future and Woodley would likely be a one-year player while Markus Golden and Shaq Riddick can gain experience by playing early.

In the secondary, only one player was on the fence. Chris Clemons added experience and depth last year but I don’t see Arizona keeping four safeties. At corner, I see Jimmy Legree, who had a very impressive spring, being one of the trade options.