Arizona Cardinals free-agency: Who might be added to the offensive line?
The Arizona Cardinals have committed to Kyler Murray as their quarterback.
Now they are tasked with protecting the face of the franchise. That will begin with the offensive line. While some key pieces are already in place, additions will need to be made through either the draft or free agency, which begins March 13.
Wednesday: Offensive line
Thursday: Defensive line
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Offensive line
Who’s under contract (with 2024 salary cap hit for each): Tackle D.J. Humphries ($22,876,667), tackle Paris Johnson Jr. ($6,375,558), guard Will Hernandez ($5,300,000), center Hjalte Froholdt ($2,770,000), tackle Kelvin Beachum ($2,457,500), guard Dennis Daley ($1,775,000), center/guard Jon Gaines II ($1,098,060), tackle Jackson Barton ($985,000), tackle Carter O’Donnell ($915,000), guard Marquis Hayes ($795,000), tackle Austen Pleasants ($795,000).
Who’s set to become a free agent: Guard/center Trystan Colon, guard Elijah Wilkinson, center Pat Elflein, center Keith Ismael (restricted free agent).
Priority level: High
Evaluation: Humphries suffered a torn ACL in Week 17 against the Eagles, and it will be a shock if he doesn’t miss most of the 2024 season. As Arizona’s lockdown veteran left tackle, that puts a huge sense of urgency on things for the Cardinals.
“He wears the ‘C’ for a reason, you know what I mean?” Gannon said of the nine-year pro. “He’s been fantastic this whole year and then coming off the back (injury), too, and getting himself ready to play and play as many games as he did, the leadership he provides, it’s obviously a big loss.”
Humphries has been the backbone of the offensive line and the Cardinals have a few options on how to proceed without him until he’s healthy again — assuming he returns at some point, or the team were to ultimately decide to move on without him.
One scenario would be moving Paris Johnson Jr. from right tackle to left tackle and having veteran Kelvin Beachum slide back into his old starting spot on the right side. Following an impressive rookie season in which he started all 17 games, Johnson said he is preparing to train at both tackle spots this offseason just in case.
“He can do it all,” Gannon said. “We’ll do what’s best for the team.”
The Cardinals could also keep Johnson at right tackle and have Beachum take over on the left side. They could start Johnson at left tackle, keep Beachum as a backup swing tackle at either spot, and find a new starting tackle elsewhere.
If the latter is the case, they might have trouble identifying their ideal tackle of choice via free agency. There simply aren’t many viable options set to hit the open market. The majority are either well into their 30’s and past their primes or they don’t have a reliable pedigree or track record.
Free-agent-to-be Tyron Smith of the Cowboys is the biggest name out there, but the dominating left tackle is 33 and likely will find a way to re-sign with Dallas and finish his career there. There’s Trent Brown, the 30-year-old left tackle for the Patriots, but he’s missed 30 games over the past five seasons.
They could roll the dice a tad on a tackle such as Jonah Williams of the Bengals, who wanted out after Cincinnati signed Orlando Brown Jr. to take over at left tackle. Williams, the former first-round pick out of Alabama, is only 26 and he has experience at both tackle spots.
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If they want a sure-fired replacement, the Cardinals might have to swing a trade and that could get tricky with costs and other factors, such as spending precious draft capital. As Humphries famously said, “Left tackles don’t grow on trees.” Going the rookie route via the draft can be an even riskier proposition, although the selection of Johnson so far has proven to be a smashing success.
They will likely use all three of those avenues when it comes to addressing the O-line overall. Arizona has its starting center (Froholdt) and right guard (Hernandez) under contract, but in addition to finding another tackle or two, there also is a need to add more help at left guard.
They relied on four different players to man that position last season in Wilkinson (nine starts), Colon (four), O’Donnell (three) and Daley (one). The Cardinals could get most of them back, but expect them to land more depth, regardless, and try to identify a potential new starter from elsewhere.
Froholdt did enough in just one season to seemingly convince the Cardinals he should remain the starting center moving forward, but Gaines, the rookie, was building steam before landing on season-ending injured reserve (knee) back in training camp. Arizona won’t make the mistake of failing to shore up its insurance policy at the position.
Notable free agents that could become available (2023 club in parenthesis): Other names include guard Andrus Peat (Saints), tackle Mekhi Becton (Jets), guard Kevin Dotson (Rams), center Connor Williams (Dolphins), tackle Donovan Smith (Chiefs), guard Ezra Cleveland (Jaguars), guard Damien Lewis (Seahawks), center Aaron Brewer (Titans), guard Dalton Risner (Vikings), guard Mike Enwenu (Patriots), center Lloyd Cushenberry III (Broncos), guard Robert Hunt (Dolphins), tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (Raiders), center/guard Coleman Shelton (Rams), center Andre James (Raiders), guard Graham Glasgow (Lions), tackle George Fant (Texans), center Evan Brown (Seahawks).
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Possible offensive linemen for the Arizona Cardinals to add
