With a need at left tackle, the Arizona Cardinals need to explore this pending free agent
The Cardinals will have an option to pursue this free agent left tackle.
By Brandon Ray
When Arizona Cardinals' left tackle D.J. Humphries tore his ACL late last season, it created yet another issue at a critical position for Arizona. There will be someone new on the left side for the Cardinals to protect the blindside for Kyler Murray. Maybe right tackle Paris Johnson moves over to the left side, or maybe Monti Ossenfort pursues as a temporary left tackle...or even permanent and move off of Humphries.
If the Cardinals do decide to explore the left tackle market, Ossenfort needs to start by looking at Tyron Smith who has played with the Dallas Cowboys for the last 13 seasons as one of the best blockers in the game. According to Ian Rapoport, Smith is unlikely to return to the Cowboys and will hit free agency. Smith does come with a recent history of injuries in which he has not played in a full season since 2015. However, it is hard to ignore the significance of production that Smith has had in his career.
At one point, Smith was the best left tackle in football. He seperated himself as an elite blocker in both the pass and run from others across the league. At 33 years old, Smith could very well be looking to get a Super Bowl ring which is something that the Cowboys have not been able to accomplish this century.
As of right now, the Cardinals are not setup to make a run at the Super Bowl. That does not mean that Ossenfort should play free agency safe with pending free agents. In order to keep Murray protected off of his ACL injury in December of 2022, Smith would be a perfect fit to help solidify the offensive line. On top of that, if the Cardinals are able to acquire the veteran and draft a future left tackle through the draft, it will create a smooth transition into the future.
Per spotrac.com, Smith's market value is at $7.4 million. That is a good amount of money for a guy who has not played a full season in a very long time. However at the same time, left tackle is crucial in order to keep your franchise quarterback protected. At the very least, the Cardinals need to check-in with Smith and see if there is any sort of interest.