Evan Mathis Addition Gives Arizona Cardinals Someone They Can Count On

While many will question whether or not the Arizona Cardinals offensive line will put together a great season, one thing is certain, they have the talent to do it.

One of the reasons is the addition of veteran offensive lineman Evan Mathis.  Mathis has been one of the best guards in the NFL over the last decade, a favorite among the analytics group of Pro Football Focus, grading out positively every year he has played.

What Mathis' signing does more than anything else is give them a player they can count on every week.  There is always injury concerns with any player, but Mathis has been relatively healthy in his career, as well as having played through numerous knicks and bruises, something that will make him a favorite of Bruce Arians.

Mathis though is a man who understands his job, even if it will be slightly different than the zone schemes he was so deft at in Philadelphia and Denver.  He is someone that you can count on when it comes to not making the mental errors, but also having the physical skill to hold up at the point of attack.  Those two qualities have eluded the Arizona Cardinals right guard position over the last three seasons.

Maybe most importantly though, for Mathis and the Arizona Cardinals, he is one player that has been there, and done that.  Now, with Evan Mathis, Mike Iupati and Larry Fitzgerald, the Arizona Cardinals offense has three players with Super Bowl experience.  They know what it is like to close out that NFC Championship game, they know what it takes to win late in the year.

Mathis may be on a one year deal, but it is exactly what the Arizona Cardinals need, someone who can be a steadying influence on the road to a championship.