Cardinals right tackle Marcus Gilbert out for Week 1 vs. Lions

Arizona Cardinals starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert will miss Sunday’s Week 1 contest due to a knee injury, the Cardinals’ injury report stated on Friday.

Offensive lineman Lamont Gaillard will also be out with the a knee injury.

The newly-acquired Gilbert was added to the team’s injury report as “limited” on Thursday, and was not seen at Friday’s practice. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury wouldn’t say for sure what Gilbert’s status would be for Sunday during his Friday press conference, but the injury report confirmed the tackle will be out against the Lions.

Gilbert has struggled with health over the past couple of seasons. The longtime Pittsburgh Steeler was limited to five games due to knee issues in 2018, and he missed several games in 2017 with a hamstring ailment.

Before the injuries, Gilbert was a highly regarded offensive lineman. Pro Football Focus rated him the 13th-best tackle in the NFL in 2016 and the third-best right tackle in 2015.

The Cardinals’ offensive line was among the league’s worst last year, and Football Outsiders’ analytics rated its right tackle performance 29th in the league. Trading a sixth-round pick to get Gilbert was a major pickup to bolster the position. He blocked for multiple playoff teams and brings a ton of experience to the Valley. The possibility of him missing games is a major blow, especially since his backups are unproven.

Backing up Gilbert on the depth chart is 6-foot-6, 290-pound rookie lineman Brett Toth from Army. He completed one year of active duty before being granted a waiver to pursue his football career. The issue is that he does not have much recent on-field experience besides a couple of preseason games.

Besides him are rookie Joshua Miles and two-year veteran Justin Murray, who has just two games of experience under his belt. Those three will look to cover the gap left by Gilbert’s injury in Week 1.

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