The Man in the Middle is set to return to the team and solidify Offensive Line.
The Arizona Cardinals continue to get good news about their offensive stars, with Ian Rapaport of nfl.com reporting that Rodney Hudson has told the team he will indeed be playing in 2022. This news comes on the heels of other reports from national media last week that QB Kyler Murray is closing in on a massive extension to keep him with the Cardinals for the long term.
The Hudson situation had been brewing for a while, ever since the All-Pro Center decided to skip mandatory minicamp earlier this summer. However, it reached a boiling point last week when the team sent out a tweet essentially eliminating Hudson from the Offensive Line, which had some reporters speculating that Hudson’s time in Arizona was coming to an end.
Man In The Middle. pic.twitter.com/YsIEzfqqnw
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 18, 2022
Rodney Hudson is returning for training camp and to the Arizona Cardinals.
Alas, the two players who should touch the ball on every play (let’s just pretend Kliff Kingsbury does away with any Wildcat stuff) appear ready to roll in 2022, free of any extracurricular drama.
The continuity will undoubtedly be beneficial, with DeAndre Hopkins set to miss the first six games as the offense tries to incorporate Hollywood Brown and ramp up the reps for second-year WR Rondale Moore.
Hudson has been an anchor for the offense, with the unit’s play falling off precipitously in his absence last year. As the player responsible for calling out any pre-snap line changes and diagnosing the defensive alignments, his return will undoubtedly have a calming influence on Murray, who is looking to make another leap as the franchise QB.
A lot can change between now and when the regular season begins on September 11th against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it is at least starting to look like the Cardinals will have most of the team intact and happy for the opener.
Welcome back, Rodney Hudson. Would an extension for DJ Humphries before the season begins now be too much to ask of GM Steve Keim?