Arizona Cardinals offensive line is better than a major outlet thinks

The Arizona Cardinals strongest position group on offense is their line. But that didn’t stop a major outlet from handing them a poor ranking.

These days, it’s no surprise that regardless of the outlet ranking the Arizona Cardinals, they will place them in the bottom five, even if a position group appears to be strong. And Sam Monson of PFF recently ranked the Redbirds offensive line as one of the worst in the NFL, placing only the Tennessee Titans unit below them. 

Despite having a former Pro Bowler in D.J. Humphries returning from a back injury, a surefire stalwart in Paris Johnson, plus two solid chess pieces who may start on the right side of the line in Will Hernandez and Kelvin Beachum, it still wasn’t enough for Monson to give the Cards a decent ranking. 

The line is also full of versatile players, including projected starter at center in Hjalte Froholdt, plus a pair of guards slash tackles in Johnson and even Beachum, who, thanks to Johnson seeing time at right tackle in mini-camp, could slide in and play guard. 

Arizona Cardinals offensive line is better than PFF believes

Not only do the Cardinals have five potentially solid starters on the line, but they also have more than a few viable backups. You can expect Humphries, Johnson, Froholdt, Hernandez, and Beachum to be the starters in one or more combinations, but Monson failed to even consider the possibilities of the following individuals:

• Jon Gaines II
• Elijah Wilkinson
• Dennis Daley
• Josh Jones

Each of the above have either started in this league, or in Gaines’ case, has more than enough potential to become a viable starter. This is an offensive line unit deep with depth, and it won’t be long until they start proving their critics wrong, especially when Humphries gets back to scratch and Johnson continues to impress. 

Although the Arizona Cardinals probably won’t boast a playoff team in 2023, it will be a lot of fun to see this line pave the way for James Conner and company. You can expect them to be a bright spot on this team, regardless of how bad the Redbirds could be this season. 

Source: 2023 NFL offensive line rankings: Eagles lead the way, a healthy Cowboys unit climbs into top 10 by Sam Monson, PFF.com