The Arizona Cardinals went into the offseason with clear work to do up front, and they addressed it with two new faces in the starting five. Guard Isaac Seumalo arrived on a three-year deal in free agency, while tackle Elijah Wilkinson signed on for two years. Paris Johnson, Hjalte Froholdt, and Isaiah Adams are back, giving Arizona a line that the team believes is better than the one it rolled out last season.
PFF, though, isn’t ready to buy into a major leap. In its ranking of all 32 starting offensive lines, Arizona landed 22nd, putting the Cardinals in the bottom third of the league.
The left side looks like the safer bet. Paris Johnson Jr. has put together back-to-back seasons with PFF pass-blocking grades above 77.0, and Seumalo brings a steady track record with him. The former Pittsburgh Steeler has posted a PFF grade above 65.0 in every season of his career in which he has played at least 600 snaps.
The right side is where the questions pile up. Isaiah Adams has finished below 60.0 in each of his first two NFL seasons, and Wilkinson’s best PFF grade, 65.5, dates all the way back to 2018.
Those worries line up with what Cardinals fans have already seen. Wilkinson played every snap last season at right tackle for the Atlanta Falcons, but he also led the league in holding penalties. Adams was benched for Will Hernandez and only got back into the lineup after Hernandez was injured.
Adams has drawn praise throughout the offseason, but that was true a year ago too. The Cardinals also lost Chase Bisontis, their second-round pick, to a season-ending knee injury after he had been expected to compete with Adams for the starting job.
At the top of PFF’s list was the Denver Broncos’ line, and that’s the unit Arizona will see in Week 7.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face Early Tip Reiman Decision They Didn't Want
Tip Reimans return has already become one of the first personnel questions hanging over Cardinals training camp, even before the pads come on for real. The second-year tight end is still working back from the severe ankle injury he suffered in October last season, and he opened camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list as Arizona begins sorting out its tight end room and the rest of the offense.
Mike LaFleur made it clear the team is not assuming Reiman will be ready for the opener, which puts the Cardinals in an uncomfortable early call on his PUP status. If he stays there, he would have to sit out the first four games, a tough outcome for a player LaFleur praised for his work ethic and for what he brings to the run game. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Lose A Key Rookie As Injury Questions Start Piling Up
The Cardinals had already been dealing with a growing list of injury concerns, and the latest roster moves only sharpened the issue. Arizona placed second-round draft pick Chase Bisontis on injured reserve, ending his season before it really got going, while tight end Jameson Geers and linebacker Austin Keys also landed on IR as the team continued to sort through its depth chart.
Arizona tried to refill some of those openings by signing tight end Baylor Cupp, running back Tre Stewart and defensive tackle Keveionta Spears. The transaction churn is part of the reality this time of year, but losing a rookie investment like Bisontis so early gives the Cardinals another long-term question to juggle as the injuries keep stacking up. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Week 1 Concern Fans Can't Ignore
The Cardinals are midway through preseason under Mike LaFleur, and the early tone around the new regime has been encouraging. LaFleur has already drawn praise for the way he has handled the room, but the injury report has become a quieter source of concern as Arizona keeps trying to stack healthy days and build toward opening week.
Rookie quarterback Kyler Beck has been limited by a rib injury that has cut into both practice work and game availability, even if the team is not sounding alarm bells yet. Running back Benson is also easing back from a meniscus injury, while defensive player Sweat remains on the physically unable to perform list with a knee issue and still has not practiced, leaving the Cardinals with a few notable absences as the regular season gets closer. [Read more 🡒]