Arizona Cardinals rookie guard Chase Bisontis was looking like a draft steal early on in training camp and preseason. He was even forcing the Cardinals into a position battle at starting right guard with Isaiah Adams.
Bisontis wasn't winning the battle at the moment, but was showing promise for a Cardinals team in need of offensive line help. Unfortunately, that competition will have to be put on hold as Bisontis' entire rookie campaign could even be in jeopardy after the injury suffered in Thursday's 27-14 preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Preseason injury puts Chase Bisontis' rookie campaign in jeopardy
NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that Bisontis's injury was a torn MCL that requires surgery.
While a return before the season's end hasn't entirely been ruled out, it does appear to be a multi-week absence at minimum.
Although he may have only been a backup at this point in preseason, that's an absolutely brutal loss for Bisontis and the Cardinals. He was particularly good as a run blocker at Texas A&M, an area of weakness Arizona needed to address this offseason.
It's also unfortunate timing for the Cardinals in their rebuild, as this was looking like a strong draft class entering the 2026 season.
Bisontis is a key part of Cardinals' strong draft class
Jeremiyah Love looked the part of a top-five pick in limited preseason action against the Las Vegas Raiders. Third-rounder Carson Beck had a strong performance in the Hall of Fame Game, even making a case to start over Jacoby Brissett at some point in the season.
Fourth-rounder Kaleb Proctor suffered a season-ending torn meniscus, making Bisontis unfortunately the second to already go down in the class before the season even began. Still, there's optimism to be found in late-round gems, wide receiver Reggie Virgil and tackle Jayden Williams.
Virgil has performed well through consecutive preseason games, making a compelling case to survive the 53-man roster despite the Cardinals' excess amount of wide receiver options. A difficult decision appears to be on the horizon, but it is ultimately a good problem to have with so many pass-catching options emerging this offseason.
Meanwhile, seventh-rounder Williams has already managed to go from draft afterthought to second on the depth chart at right tackle.
While Love, Beck, and others have taken the spotlight, in typical offensive line fashion, it's Bisontis whose value and productivity have flown under the radar thus far. Even if this does turn out to be a season-ending injury, the silver lining is Bisontis has already shown enough to make Cardinals fans feel good about this pick.
It's not like the postseason appearance was a realistic goal this season either. If he can get healthy and pick up where he left off, Bisontis should still very much be a part of the Cardinals' plans on offense going forward.
Add us as a preferred source on Google