Cardinals agree to re-sign OT Marcus Gilbert to 1-year deal

The Arizona Cardinals agreed to re-sign right tackle Marcus Gilbert to a one-year deal, the team announced on Thursday.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the deal is worth up to $3.75 million, citing Gilbert’s agent.

Arizona also announced running back Kenyan Drake has signed his one-year transition tag.

The signing of Gilbert adds a player to a Cardinals offensive line that needed additional depth. Center A.Q. Shipley remains a free agent, and Gilbert spent all of last season on injured reserve as the Cardinals turned to Justin Murray at right tackle.

Gilbert, 32, played eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before coming to Arizona. He hasn’t played double-digit games since 2016 and hasn’t played 16 games in a season since 2015. In fact, only twice in his career (2013, ’15) has he played all 16 games of a season.

The trend continued last year with his latest injury, which was reported to be a torn ACL, but him getting back on the field in 2020 would give GM Steve Keim one less thing to worry about as he’s significantly added to the roster this offseason.

Already, the Cardinals have added to the defensive line and linebacker positions with free agent signings, leading mock drafts to suggest Keim will go with an offensive lineman with the eighth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. But with Gilbert in the fold, free agent signings in the front seven and a trade to get DeAndre Hopkins at wideout, it’s anyone’s guess as to what the priority might be in the draft.

Perhaps the Cardinals will go offensive line anyway at No. 8, especially if they see the veteran Gilbert’s injury history as a concern. But it’s encouraging that yet another player is on the depth chart for coach Kliff Kingsbury and his staff to work with.

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