The Arizona Cardinals didn’t do much with their offensive line this offseason. Left guard Justin Pugh redid his deal and took a pay cut to remain with the team a fifth straight season. They signed Will Hernandez and he is expected to be the one new player in the lineup at right guard.
That projected lineup does not get high marks from Pro Football Focus.
In their tiers and rankings for the projected starting offensive lines of all 32 teams, Arizona’s comes in at No. 25, leading the tier of “uninspiring” lines.
This is one of the most veteran-laden offensive lines in the NFL. The average age of Arizona’s five starters come Week 1 will be over 30 years old. While that might sound “stable,” it also sounds like injury red flags. Justin Pugh, Rodney Hudson and Kelvin Beachum are all firmly on the downswings of their careers, and the Cardinals can’t afford for any of them to fall off a cliff.
Only Hudson is under contract after 2022. Beachum and Humphries had great seasons in 2020 but were not quite as effective in 2021. Hudson missed games with injuries and COVID-19. Pugh was solid in pass protection.
The Cardinals don’t need a great line. They need a capable line, as they have put more resources into the weapons for quarterback Kyler Murray. As long as they are relatively healthy and remain adequate, the offense will be able to perform at a high level in 2022.
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