Cardinals’ offensive line unit ranks 2nd worst in league, per PFF

The Arizona Cardinals’ individual position groups have for the most part ranked towards the bottom of the league BY to Pro Football Focus.

As franchise quarterback Kyler Murray recovers from an ACL tear, the offensive line protection was a major concern for Arizona heading into 2023.

The Cardinals took Ohio State offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. with the No. 6 overall selection in the NFL Draft to fortify a shaky unit.

Despite the hefty early-round investment into Johnson, PFF’s Sam Monson believes Arizona has the No. 31 ranked offensive line, down seven spots from last season.

The Cardinals seem to have an entire offensive line built from left tackles, with rookie Paris Johnson Jr. likely shoehorned in at guard and Josh Jones back to riding the bench after a breakout year in 2022.

With 44 penalties as a unit, the Cardinals finished last season tied as the most penalized offensive line in the NFL.

Unfortunately for Josh Jones and Paris Johnson Jr., the best player on this line is still D.J. Humphries. He didn’t surrender a sack in eight games last season, pass protecting for almost 400 snaps.

Arizona projects to lineup with Humphries at left tackle, Johnson Jr. at left guard, Hjalte Froholdt at center, Will Hernandez at right guard and Kelvin Beachum at right tackle.

With 40% of the starting lineup being new faces from the previous year, a backup quarterback slotted to play an unknown amount of time until Murray is healthy and a new coaching staff and scheme, Arizona could have issues out of the gate with continuity.

As Monson mentioned, Arizona will have to limit penalties and were ranked in the bottom 11 teams in rushing yards per game and total yards per game in 2022. Additionally, the Cardinals scored 20 ppg while conceding 26.4 points per game (most in the league).

Arizona also ranked seventh worst in the NFL with a minus-five turnover differential.