Arizona Cardinals backup offensive tackles ready if needed

Backups Korey Cunningham and Desmond Harrison are capable of picking up the slack if the Arizona Cardinals starters get injured

Finishing the 2018 campaign as the worst team in football has worked to the Arizona Cardinals advantage at times. Having the first pick in every round of this past April’s NFL Draft was certainly beneficial. That perk in particular allowed the Cardinals to land Kyler Murray, a quarterback who the organization believes can win them a Super Bowl one day.

Being last season’s most inept squad also permitted Arizona to benefit in another way. For the past several months, the franchise has had first crack at any player who’s been placed on the waiver wire. Sitting in such a favorable position has allowed the Cardinals to acquire some impressive talent, including an offensive tackle who started eight games as a rookie last year.

Desmond Harrison, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, was snatched off of the waiver wire last month. The Cardinals, who needed help at offensive tackle, didn’t hesitate when the second-year pro became available. Harrison is currently listed as a backup on the club’s depth chart, but there’s a very good chance that the talented 25-year old could be pressed into action this coming fall.

Both of Arizona’s starting offensive tackles, D.J. Humphries and Marcus Gilbert, are extremely brittle. Humphries, the 24th-overall selection of the 2015 draft, has missed 21 contests during his career due to injury. Gilbert, acquired in a trade this past March, has sat out 36 games because of various bumps and bruises.

Harrison isn’t the only second-string offensive tackle who’s capable of filling in if needed. Korey Cunningham, a sixth-round choice of the Cardinals in ’18, started six matchups during his rookie campaign. The University of Cincinnati product took over at left tackle after Humphries was sidelined with a knee ailment, and performed well.

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim is obviously confident that his backup tackles can pick up the slack if needed. While the pair of blockers are youthful, it’s a plus that they’ve both appeared in starting lineups. Arizona can only hope that Cunningham and Harrison will be ready to go if their numbers are called.