The Arizona Cardinals’ starting offensive line is basically set. D.J. Humphries will start at left tackle, Justin Pugh will be at left guard, Rodney Hudson is the starting center, Will Hernandez appears to be locked in at right guard and Kelvin Beachum is the guy at right tackle.
What is undetermined is who will be the primary backup swing tackle in 2022. It is a battle between third-year pro Josh Jones and fourth-year tackle Josh Miles, according to offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Sean Kugler, who spoke to reporters after Saturday’s practice.
“Both those guys are doing a good job,” Kugler said.
He will get many opportunities to evaluate them both in the preseason.
With Humphries and Beachum being older players now, Jones and Miles “are probably going to get most of the preseason work,” and it will be a test.
They are going to let both play “out there on an island by themselves,” so coaches can see how they handle one-on-one matchups.
Kugler said that Jones is a future starter at tackle for the Cardinals and could start this year, although Humphries and Beachum are locked in there.
“If your third tackle is capable of starting, you’ve got a good tackle,” he said.
“Josh Miles is trying to work his way into that mix, too,” Kugler added. “He’s a guy that was a late-round pick that his development has been slower but he’s really taken strides.”
Jones has been working at left tackle in camp. When Humphries was out early, Miles was playing left tackle with the second team. With Humphries’ return to practice, Jones has been at left tackle on the second-team line and Miles at right tackle.
The Cardinals’ preseason opener is Friday night on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and
