Arizona Cardinals get third-round draft pick under contract
By Jim Koch
Third-round draft selection Josh Jones has come to an agreement with the Arizona Cardinals on a four-year rookie contract
Three months have passed since the NFL Draft, and the Arizona Cardinals have finally begun to get their rookies under contract. The first youngster to put the pen to paper was first-round selection Isaiah Simmons, who came to an agreement with the club on Tuesday. Just hours later, the Cards signed another one of their draftees to a deal.
ESPN reporter Field Yates is reporting that Arizona has come to terms with third-round choice Josh Jones, an offensive tackle out of the University of Houston. According to Spotrac, it’s a four-year contract that’s worth just over $4.8 million. Jones was handed a signing bonus worth $1.08 million, and will earn a base salary of $620,000 this coming fall.
At the moment, veterans D.J. Humphries and Marcus Gilbert are the Cards starting tackles. There are those who feel, however, that Jones has a chance to overtake Gilbert on the team’s depth chart. There are a couple of other blockers who could compete for playing time at the tackle spots as well.
Just last week, Arizona inked journeyman Kelvin Beachum to a one-year deal. It’s a quality acquisition, given the fact that the 31-year old has 99 professional starts on his resume. Beachum, the New York Jets top left tackle over the past three seasons, has also spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars during his eight campaigns in the league.
Justin Murray, who started 12 games for the Cardinals in 2019, is also a viable candidate for the blocking unit. The 27-year old came to the organization in September of last year after he was waived by the Oakland Raiders. Murray was pressed in action after Gilbert tore his ACL just days before the season-opener.
Next. Murray deserves better Madden rating. dark
The Cards front office was thrilled to see that Jones was still on the board when it came time for them to make their third-round selection. The 6’5, 319 pounder was taken 72nd-overall, despite the fact that many experts had Jones rated as a first-round talent. If those projections turn out to be true, Arizona will be credited with acquiring one of the biggest steals of the 2020 draft.