The Arizona Cardinals’ top draft pick this year was offensive lineman Paris Johnson. He is expected to start somewhere on the offensive line as a rookie.
The question is where.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon won’t really answer the question about what he thinks will happen but did give us perhaps a clue.
When asked on Wednesday if he saw Johnson as a tackle, a swing guy or an inside guy, Gannon responded by asking, “When’s the first game? That’s when we’ll know.”
He did expand a bit, saying that Johnson was working outside at tackle “today.”
You can find photos on the official team site from different practices with Johnson lined up at right tackle.
“He’s played both positions (tackle and guard) in college, so he has versatility, but I think he has what you’re looking for in a starting tackle,” he added.
Johnson started a season at right guard and one at left tackle for Ohio State.
Arizona’s starting left guard job appears open, while Kelvin Beachum, the starting right tackle for the last three seasons, re-signed in the offseason to a two-year deal.
Gannon has said throughout the offseason program that they are moving linemen around to give them reps at different positions, evaluating where they fit best and teaching them versatility.
But the reps at tackle suggest that he will be battling either Beachum or left tackle D.J. Humphries for a starting job outside once training camp begins at the end of July.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
