Elijah Wilkinson gives Arizona Cardinals yet another viable option at offensive line

The Arizona Cardinals have given us little flash in free agency, but many solid pieces since the league year began, with Elijah Wilkinson as the latest signee. 

The Arizona Cardinals offensive line struggled with injuries over the past few seasons and as a result, we saw many players try to step up, only to be overwhelmed with the NFL game. That won’t happen this season, with general manager Monti Ossenfort signing serviceable talent while hanging onto some of his own. 

So far in 2023, he retained Will Hernandez and Kelvin Beachum. Ossenfort also signed Hjalte Froholdt, Dennis Daley, and now, Elijah Wilkinson. He also already had Josh Jones and Lecitus Smith, two players who received adequate playing time last season. 

This gives Arizona seven offensive linemen who you can expect to be on the roster after final cuts roll around. But as you can see, they are still missing a center, and it gives us reason to believe they will pick one up in the early rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft. 

Arizona Cardinals offensive line nearly set with Elijah Wilkinson

The bad news, obviously, is that the Cards have yet to sign a center. The good news is that they have more than enough depth that if the injury bug bit the line hard this season, you shouldn’t see a drop-off as we’ve witnessed in years’ past. 

If Ossenfort takes the right center at the end of the month, don’t be surprised if the Cardinals offensive line overachieves in 2023. And since we might see either David Blough or Colt McCoy line up under center early, hopefully Blough, such deep depth at offensive line should be music to their respective ears. 

Overall, it was another good move from Ossenfort. Now let’s see how he solidifies the line on draft weekend. It will be interesting to watch, for sure. 

Source: Cardinals sign former Atlanta Falcons OL Elijah Wilkinson by Tyler Drake, ArizonaSports.com