The Arizona Cardinals picked up a win in their first preseason game of the year on Friday. Several players stood out for their play.
But one player was recognized as being a “secret superstar” of the first week of the preseason.
According to Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, Cardinals starting center Hjalte Froholdt was one of the secret superstars of the weekend.
Selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Arkansas, Froholdt became the first Danish-born position player ever selected in any professional football draft (Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen was taken in the fourth round of the 1982 draft by the Saints). He’s been around the NFL since, with stops in Houston, Cleveland, and now Arizona after the Patriots waived him. Last season was pretty rough for Froholdt, as he allowed seven sacks on the Browns’ offensive line — though four of them came when he was filling in at right guard.
Nonetheless, Froholdt seemed to know what he was doing when the Cardinals squared off against the Broncos on Thursday night, and he just plastered cornerback Damarri Mathis on this screen pass.
Hjalte Froholdt is READY for his first chance to be a full-time starter at center this season in Arizona. Whew pic.twitter.com/0bHsphyDIA
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) August 12, 2023
Froholdt also demolished Broncos (and former Cardinals) defensive lineman Zach Allen, one of the NFL’s better and more underrated interior disruptors.
Froholdt made the list of one of the Cardinals to help their stock rise in the preseason opener.
Froholdt entered the offseason with sox NFL starts, four at center.
He has been working as the team’s starting center all offseason.
While many have felt the Cardinals were going to bring in an established veteran center, perhaps they trusted Froholdt to take the next steps and be a starting-caliber, physical presence in the middle of the offensive line.
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