What’s next for the Cardinals at right guard after Chase Bisontis’ injury

TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals lost a potential starter and swing option, rookie second-round pick Chase Bisontis, to a torn MCL last week.

After closing the gap in the starting right guard spot with a stellar Hall of Fame game showing and progress in training camp, Bisontis is now forced to the sideline for the remainder of the season.

Arizona’s depth chart, meanwhile, got that much thinner at the position.

A closer look along the right side of the interior:

Isaiah Adams will start for the Cardinals

Even if Bisontis was healthy, there may not have been enough time for the rookie to fully usurp Isaiah Adams by Week 1. Maybe soon after, but not before the start of the season.

With Bisontis fully out of the picture, it truly is Adams’ job to lose. He’s had an up-and-down camp, though head coach Mike LaFleur has been pleased with his ongoing development in the system.

“I think every day he’s just gotten a little bit better, and that’s shown since the pads have gone on when we were in Glendale,” LaFleur said Saturday. “I think he’s just been solid and steady.

“What’s really stood out to me with him is it looks like he plays at his pace, which is a good thing. He doesn’t look rushed. And I think he’s looked solid and sturdy, and he needs to continue to improve.”

Adams has shown flashes the past two seasons but hasn’t strung together a complete year. Consistency is going to be the big thing to watch.

The Cardinals’ starting offensive line (at least for Week 1) is shaping up to be:

– Left tackle: Paris Johnson Jr.
– Left guard: Isaac Seumalo
– Center: Hjalte Froholdt
– Right guard: Isaiah Adams
– Right tackle: Elijah Wilkinson

Outside of someone really making some noise at right tackle — Jayden Williams? Josh Fryar? — there aren’t many question marks as to who is starting at this rate.

Who is the next man up along the Cardinals interior OL?

Regardless of Adams winning or losing the right guard battle with Bisontis, the rookie’s injury still means there is one less depth piece at the position.

Now with Bisontis sidelined, the swing job is very much up for grabs.

Of Arizona’s in-house candidates, Jon Gaines II tops the list as someone to watch.

The versatile interior lineman can play both guard spots and has filled in as the Cardinals’ backup center behind Hjalte Froholdt.

Gaines had to play catchup after missing the entirety of his rookie year due to a knee injury. He made his way back into the mix in 2024, seeing 22 offensive snaps compared to 58 on special teams.

Then came last year, when Gaines appeared in all 17 games, highlighted by five starts. He played both left and right guard.

“It’s kind of crazy to think he’s in Year 4 already,” Froholdt said Saturday. “Great player, can play all three interior (positions), knows the playbook in and out. There’s not a drop when he goes in there.”

Another veteran to consider

A new face to the roster, Matt Pryor has plenty of experience at right guard while also getting looks at both tackle spots and on the left side of the interior since entering the league in 2018.

In 2020 and 2024, Pryor saw double-digit starts, primarily at right guard.

The other avenues

Hayden Conner has just five games under his belt but presents another in-house depth piece. Arizona can get a closer look at him this preseason with the roster shuffling ongoing.

“We’ll kind of mix and match some of those things in terms of worst-case scenarios. Inevitably, someone’s going to miss some time. It’s football, so we’ll start mixing and matching some of that this week,” LaFleur said.

“I have a lot of trust in (offensive line coach Justin Frye) in terms of how he wants to disperse those reps and we’ll kind of go from there.”

Arizona likely isn’t going to find its next starting right guard on the streets but could look to free agency following 53-man roster cuts for a potential diamond in the rough.

There’s also adding via trade. But unless Adams goes down, it doesn’t seem like a path general manager Monti Ossenfort is going to take.

Related

Jeremiyah Love dealing with high ankle sprain, likely done for preseasonSay what now? Hjalte Froholdt’s 1-of-a-kind way to describe Cardinals’ QB playCardinals rookie OL Chase Bisontis done for season after being placed on IRWhen will Cardinals’ James Conner begin full team activities?Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love out this week with ankle injuryCardinals rookie OL Chase Bisontis suffers torn MCL