The Arizona Cardinals O line situation

I mentioned in my Arizona Cardinal 2011 to do list that the Cardinals could use some Offensive Line help. I may have understated their need there a bit. Currently there is only one 2011 starting O lineman on the roster, and that is Levi Brown. There is no question that the Arizona Offensive Line was among the worst in the NFL last season. That makes me wonder why they did not draft a O line prospect in the 2011 NFL draft, and the fact that Brown has underperformed since the Cardinals passed on Adrian Peterson (yes that one) to draft him. Sure, they got great value in the draft, but not addressing their O line may have been a big mistake.

I am firm believer that good NFL teams are built from the inside out. While I like what the Cardinals did in the draft I think not addressing this need was a mistake. Of course, the plan may be to find clear upgrades via free agency. That is a way to go, but it gets very expensive. On top of that, the Cardinals have tried for years to fix their LB corps in free agency, and that has not exactly worked out.

2011 RT Brandon Keith would be easy to retain with a restricted tag, but that would only give them two legit starters (with no upgrade from 2011). Alan Faneca retired, so they must find a new option there, and Deuce Lutui may leave via free agency. That would leave the interior of their O line in a bind. If not upgrades can be found they would have to rely on 2011 backups Jeremy Bridges, and Rex Hadnot to fill the gap. However, if they were so great why could they not crack the starting rotation of one of the worst O lines last year?

Related Links:

• Arizona Cardinals news and notes
• Joshua Lobdell.com