As the Arizona Cardinals prepare for free agency and the NFL draft this offseason, the center position has players already on the roster. Mason Cole was the starter and Lamont Gaillard started a few games when Cole was injured.
How did they do?
According to offensive line coach and run game coordinator Sean Kugler, who spoke to the media this week virtually, “the center position last year had its ups and downs.”
Cole and Gaillard “at times played extremely well, at times both those guys struggled, both being young players.”
However, Kugler was optimistic about their future.
“They’re both hard workers, they both like the game of football,” he said. “I think they’re both going to improve. They both have things that they need to improve upon. They know what those things are and they need to take the accountability of improving those things.”
With both on the roster, the Cardinals aren’t just going to stand pat.
“Will we try to add to that room or will we try to improve the competition? We’ll always do that,” he explained. “We’ll always try to look to make sure that we’ve got the best five out there and next best five ready to go, and if that means bringing somebody in, that’s not out of the possibility.”
There are some notable centers who will be free agents. The Cardinals could make a splash and sign one. Since both Cole and Gaillard can play guard as well, they could be in the mix for either guard position, depending on what they do with starting left guard Justin Pugh.
Essentially, the Cardinals are leaving all options available.
“The center position overall needs to take the next step and get better.”
If that happens, it will bring good things to the offense.
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