The 2025 NFL season has not gone as the Arizona Cardinals planned. Although the beginning looked bright, starting with two wins, the franchise is currently on a five-game losing skid.
Meanwhile, the rest
of the NFC West Division is doing well or holding its own. Which means, each additional loss places the Cardinals that much behind in the division race, and the Wild Card situation.
The season is not lost. Even though Arizona is 2-5-0, there are 10 games left on the schedule. Anything can happen, and has. While it isn’t likely the squad will run the table, having nine or even 10 wins is still within their reach.
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But they will need help. The current roster has a glaring hole that requires fixing: the offensive line.
While it is true that the running back has regressed, the players the team has in place may be more of a Band-Aid effect, but right now, they are getting it done somewhat. Yes, it is currently running back by committee, and no, neither of the three backs has the power and dominance of James Conner, who was lost for the year. But soon, RB Trey Benson will return.
The jury is still out on whether Jacoby Brissett should remain the starting quarterback even when Kyler Murray returns from his ankle injury. There seems to be two camps regarding this: one says keep Brissett under center, while the other wants Murray to return to his starting role. Despite losing to the Green Bay Packers, Brissett’s Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade was 81.5.
Trey McBride is one of the league’s best tight ends, and the receiver room has plenty of talent, starting with Marv Harrison.
But the offensive line has issues. Both offensive tackles are having a decent year, although that comes in spurts. And Frodholdt seems to be doing a decent job, even with the sacks he allowed against the fierce pass rush of the Packers.
Here are the current PFF grades for the Cardinals’ offensive line through seven weeks:
RT Jonah Williams (6’-5”, 312 pounds)
Age: 27
Overall: 60.8
Pass blocking: 58.7
Run blocking: 60.3
Penalties: 3
Sacks allowed: 3
Total pressures: 16
Offensive snaps: 471
RG Will Hernandez (6’-2”, 332 pounds)
Age: 30
Overall: 36.7
Pass blocking: 34.0
Run blocking: 4228
Penalties: 1
Sacks allowed: 1
Total pressures: 8
Offensive snaps: 172
C Hjalte Froholdt (6’-5”, 310 pounds)
Age: 29
Overall: 65.7
Pass blocking: 70.6
Run blocking: 62.8
Penalties: 3
Sacks allowed: 1
Total pressures: 9
Offensive snaps: 471
LG Evan Brown (6’-3”, 320 pounds)
Age: 29
Overall: 58.5
Pass blocking: 67.7
Run blocking: 52.8
Penalties: 3
Sacks allowed: 1
Total pressures: 9
Offensive snaps: 403
LT Paris Johnson (6’-6”, 313 pounds)
Age: 24
Overall: 80.1
Pass blocking: 82.8
Run blocking: 70.6
Penalties: 2
Sacks allowed: 3
Total pressures: 13
Offensive snaps: 405
Main backups
OG Isaiah Adams (6’-5”, 315 pounds)
Age: 25
Overall: 44.0
Pass blocking: 56.9
Run blocking: 49.3
Penalties: 6
Sacks allowed: 1
Total pressures: 10
Offensive snaps: 322
OT Kelvin Beachum (6’-3”, 308 pounds)
Age: 36
Overall: 48.7
Pass blocking: 61.9
Run blocking: 46.4
Penalties: 3
Sacks allowed: 1
Total pressures: 7
Offensive snaps: 114
As displayed, the offensive guard spot has issues. Both starters are the weak links so far.
In the case of Hernandez, it is peculiar that he isn’t performing well since he returned in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans. Last season, he graded out at 74.2 in pass blocking before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee. That PFF grade placed him ranked #9 among offensive guards and he was considered among the most underrated offensive linemen in the NFL. He had 3,281 regular-season snaps since the start of the 2021 campaign but began this year on the PUP list.
It is expected that Hernandez will rebound for the remainder of this season. Will he? Right now, his numbers aren’t pretty.
That leaves Evan Brown. His run blocking is not very good, although he does an average job in pass protection. Right now, he is ranked 58th out of 113 guards overall. These grades place him in the backup/starter level for pass blocking but below average for run blocking. Yet, here he is, the starter for the Cardinals.
Arizona’s run game isn’t doing much. Part of that is the lack of a bellcow back like Conner. Brown’s low run blocking grade is a major reason why the Cardinals’ offense has struggled to grind it out on the ground.
The NFL trade deadline is coming soon, ending November 4 at 4:00 pm (Eastern).
There is an answer for the Cardinals.
The Cleveland Browns have an excess at the offensive guard position. But the answer is not for one of their two backups, but for one of their starters.
RG Wyatt Teller (6’-4”, 315 pounds) is a steady performer with the Browns’ offensive line. He has been voted to three Pro Bowls and named Second Team All-Pro twice. He is 30 years old.
Just two seasons ago, the Browns’ offensive line was ranked #3 in the league with Teller starting on the rightside.
So, with all of his accolades, why would Teller be available?
Cleveland has two young guys waiting in the wings that the Browns coaching staff is grooming to insert. Luke Wypler was a sixth-round draft pick who played center for Ohio State. With the Browns, he has been shifted to guard and has elevated pretty quickly on the depth chart. The Browns also have OG Zak Zinter on the bench. Cleveland drafted him in the third round out of Michigan in 2024. Michigan is known for sending offensive linemen to the next level.
Another reason is that this is the final year of Teller’s contract.
Being 30 years old isn’t a deterrent, but Cleveland has a lot of players whose contracts expire after this season, such as TE David Njoku, RT Jack Conklin, DE Alex Wright, LB Devin Bush, CB M.J. Emerson, and RB Jerome Ford, to name a few.
Teller will most likely become a number in this contract negotiation situation, especially since the Browns have two answers for the single problem.
In 2021, Teller inked a four-year $56.8 million extension. He is durable and has 103 games played with 95 starts and hasn’t been injured this year at all. This season, Cleveland has been involved in three games in which the game was pretty much decided in the fourth quarter. In those three contests, both Wypler and Zinter were inserted for Teller at some point.
And the Browns are the perfect trade partner. Froholdt is a former Cleveland roster member. OC Drew Petzing came from the Browns staff.
In the past month, Browns GM Andrew Berry has been involved in multiple trades, getting OT Cam Robinson from the Houston Texans, trading QB Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, and swapping cornerbacks with Jacksonville, sending Greg Newsome for Tyson Campbell. Both Flacco and Newsome were starters.
Arizona would land an ace for the offensive line if it were to pull the trigger on Teller.
This one acquisition could save the Cardinals’ season.
