PFF: Cardinals offensive line is ranked 17th heading into 2017
Jun 27, 2017, 2:07 PM
Arizona Cardinals offensive linemen D.J. Humphries (74), Mike Iupati (76) and Cole Toner (61) help block Will Holden (69) while Tony Bergstrom (67) watches, as the offensive linemen run drills during an NFL football organized team activity, Thursday, June 1, 2017, at the team training facility in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Last season, Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton were sacked a combined 41 times, with that total tying for the seventh-most in the NFL.
Now, while it is not fair to pin every one of the sacks on the offensive line, it is accurate to say the Cardinals struggled at times to protect their quarterbacks.
They also had a hard time keeping their linemen on the field, as injuries to Jared Veldheer, Evan Mathis and Mike Iupati tested the Cardinals’ depth.
Earl Watford, John Wetzel and Ulrick John saw more playing time as a result, and along with D.J. Humphries, combined to allow 22 sacks and 145 QB pressures according to PFF.
At the end of last season, Pro Football Focus put Arizona’s offensive line as the 26th best in the NFL. At this point in the offseason, they list the Cardinals at No. 17.
The success of this line will be largely dependent on 2015 first-round pick D.J. Humphries. He couldn’t crack the starting lineup as a rookie and last season took his lumps on the right side, yielding nine sacks. He’s in line for the left tackle spot in 2017 and will need to take big strides for this line to improve.
PFF lists the Cardinals starting offensive line as:
LT: D.J. Humphries
LG: Mike Iupati
C: A.Q. Shipley
RG: Evan Boehm
RT: Jared Veldheer
Humphries’ success in a couple of starts at LT in place of an injured Veldheer led to him taking over as the left tackle in 2017, with Veldheer moving over to the right side for the first time in his career. Veldheer missed the last eight games of the 2016 season after suffering a torn triceps at Carolina.
Boehm also had a chance to get some playing time late in the year, though the center in college found his spot at right guard, which is where he is slated to play in 2017.
Shipley and Iupati are the only players from last year’s line set to reprise their roles. Iupati, a guard, missed just one game last season after injuring his ankle against the 49ers, whereas Shipley, a center, was the only lineman to start all 16 games for the team.
