Cardinals seeking to upgrade talent at lines of scrimmage

Occasionally, a new coach will provide a unique sound bite at his introductory news conference.

Buddy Ryan told Cardinals fans he had a winner in town. Dennis Green compared his offense to a high-performance helicopter and pointed to a chart showing his winning percentage in the NFL.

But, mostly, we hear the same stuff, such as:

“We’re reloading, not rebuilding.”

“Winning starts up front, on the offensive and defensive lines.”

Cardinals coach Steve Wilks has said versions of those last two quotes several times since taking the job in January.

A defensive coach, Wilks said there is nothing more demoralizing than failing to stop the run. The Cardinals need to address the groups responsible for that: the offensive and defensive lines.

They addressed the offensive line in free agency by signing guard Justin Pugh and tackle Andre Smith, who likely will start on the right side. But more needs to be done.

Offensive line

On the roster: 11.

Starters: LT D.J. Humphries, LG Mike Iupati, C A.Q. Shipley, RG Justin Pugh, RT Andre Smith.

Backups: G/C Josh Allen, G/C Evan Boehm, G/T Will Holden, G/C Daniel Munyer, T Vinston Painter, G/T John Wetzel.

Need level: High.

Evaluation: Shipley is the only starter who didn’t finish the 2017 season on injured reserve, so depth must be addressed. In doing so, it would be helpful if any new players could push the expected starters.

That hasn’t happened often enough over the past five years. At least three of General Manager Steve Keim’s draft picks failed to prove themselves as starters on the offensive line (Jonathan Cooper, Earl Watford, Boehm). That’s a trend that can’t continue if the Cardinals are going to build a line that can stay together for a few years.

Boehm lost the starting right guard job early last season and appears better suited to playing center. At this point, however, Shipley is secure in that job. Of the current backups, only Wetzel has started and played at an acceptable level.

Taking an offensive lineman early, including with the 15th overall pick, makes sense. Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey has the talent to start right away at right tackle, which means Smith could be a backup at guard and tackle.

Oklahoma’s Orlando Brown could be available in the second round after a disastrous performance at the combine. Connor Williams of Texas and Tyrell Crosby of Oregon makes sense in the second- to third-round range.

Defensive line

The Cardinals are downplaying the move from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3. Wilks said the Cardinals were in a 4-3 front about 70 percent of the time last year, and Keim said ends Markus Golden and Chandler Jones have played in three-point stances before.

If Golden returns from a knee injury by the opener, which is the hope, the Cardinals’ front four is above average. Golden and Jones are excellent pass rushers. Corey Peters is strong and steady, and Olsen Pierre was impressive last season.

Depth, however, is always an issue at this position group. A team can never have too many good pass rushers, and a rotation inside would keep everyone fresh.

On the roster: 11.

Starters: DE Markus Golden, DE Chandler Jones, DT Corey Peters, DT Olsen Pierre.

Backups: Tackles: Peli Anau, Rodney Gunter, Robert Nkemdiche. Ends: Bryson Albright, Moubarak Djeri, Praise Martin-Oguike, Benson Mayowa.

Need level: Moderate.

Evaluation: The wild card is Nkemdiche. A first-round pick in 2016, he’s done next to nothing in two seasons. Pierre, who entered the league as a rookie free agent in 2015, is a better player at this point.

The 4-3 might be a better system for Nkemdiche than the 3-4. He could face fewer double teams and be asked more often to get upfield rather than read and react.

The Cardinals remain excited about his future. But it’s time for Nkemdiche to do something in the present.

The same goes for Gunter, a fourth-round pick in 2015. Usually, not a lot is expected of fourth-round picks, but the Cardinals traded two draft picks to move up to get him in 2015.

Afterward, they raved about the abilities of the kid from Delaware State. Gunter hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t lived up to the hype.

It seems doubtful the Cardinals will draft a defensive lineman in the first round, unless Washington’s Vita Vea falls to them. He would be hard to pass up.

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Top of the list

The top five offensive and defensive linemen from azcentral sports' NFL writer Bob McManaman:

1. DE Bradley Chubb, 6-4, 275, North Carolina State

2. G Quenton Nelson, 6-5, 329, Notre Dame

3. DT Vita Vea, 6-5, 344, Washington

4. DE Marcus Davenport, 6-6, 255, Univ. Texas-San Antonio

5. OT Mike McGlinchey, 6-8, 312, Notre Dame