Arizona Cardinals place Justin Pugh on injured reserve, ending guards first season with team

The excitement when the Arizona Cardinals signed guard Justin Pugh to a five year $45 million was understandable.

The Cardinals and General Manager Steve Keim set out to fix the Arizona Cardinals porous offensive line and Pugh was one of the free agent market gems.

There were also question, many of which were about Pugh’s health and ability to stay healthy for a full season.

Well, today the Arizona Cardinals announced that they have placed Pugh on injured reserve, and barring a miraculous playoff run ending his first season with the team.

This was always the concern with Pugh, although his first year in the desert cannot be labeled as anything but a failure.

According to Pro Football Focus, Pugh will end his first season with a 51.7 grade and ranked 60th among all guards in the NFL, despite having the 11th richest contract among all NFL guards.

Now, the question becomes what do the Cardinals do at guard and how will Pugh respond in year two?

Quick healing and good luck this offseason to Justin.