The NFL offseason continues to get closer on this lovely July Tuesday. The Arizona Cardinals will take the field against the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 1 on September 8, which is 61 days from now.
Offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell is the Cardinals’ current No. 61. While he started three games at left guard last year, he hasn’t really been an impactful player yet.
You don’t have to go very far back to find an impactful No. 61. The guy before O’Donnell, center Rodney Hudson, was that guy.
Now, Hudson didn’t end up being as impactful as many had hoped, but that was because of injuries.
The Cardinals traded for him in 2021 and gave him a contract extension. He was very good when he played. He played in 12 games in 2021 and the offense was at its best when he was healthy.
A nagging knee injury limited him to only four games in 2022. He almost retired after 2021 but was coaxed back to the team despite the knee problems, only to have it fail him.
He has since retired and the Cardinals released him in 2023 for cap purposes.
We will be back with another countdown post tomorrow.
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