The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly on the verge of adding veteran offensive tackle Eric Winston to their team. Why? Apparently they don't feel confident enough in the personnel on the offensive line currently.
One report was that Levi Brown did not impress in offseason work. Recently, a report came out that Brown was asked to cut a lot of weight, which he did.
What we do know is that at the end of mini-camp, Bobby Massie was working at left tackle and Nate Potter was working at right tackle.
Adding Winston, who is a right tackle, presumably would come in to play that position. Does that mean that the team is not pleased with the progress of Massie?
Both Potter and Massie have had their names brought up in the offseason about the possibility of being moved to guard. Perhaps the plan would be have Winston at right tackle and move Massie inside to right guard, replacing Daryn Colledge, who was moved from left to right guard after the team drafted Jonathan Cooper. That would mean Brown not playing, which could lead to his being cut, which would have salary cap implications. In the same scenario, some would like to see Brown moved to guard, where he could also replace Colledge.
An unlikely possibility could be to move Winston to left tackle and leave the rest as it was.
And Potter? Perhaps Winston comes in and Potter takes over at left tackle and Massie gets moved over.
In any case, the offensive line becomes almost infinitely more flexible.
Interesting note tweeted by Kent Somers:
#AZCardinals weren't impressed with Eric Winston this spring. Price decreased and/or they aren't as high on their OTs as they were
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) July 25, 2013
Whatever for the change of heart, it has made the start of training camp much more interesting.
More from Revenge of the Birds:
- Arizona Cardinals reportedly close to signing tackle Eric Winston, have made offer to John Abraham
- Arizona Cardinals waive OLB, add another to PUP
- A statistical look at Bruce Arians-led offenses
- Arizona Cardinals training camp preview podcast
- Tyrann Mathieu called one of the top rookies in 2013 to watch
Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.