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The Arizona Cardinals have finished the first week of free agency strong with the signing Justin Pugh to a massive five-year $45 million contract.
#Giants free agent OL Justin Pugh is signing with the #AZCardinals, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. It’s a 5-year deal worth just over $45M. A huge deal to end the week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2018
Pugh will be an instant upgrade to the Arizona Cardinals offensive line who was in need of an overhaul.
Pugh is one of the best young guards in the NFL when he is healthy, the 27 year old graded out very highly in 2015 and 2016. His 2017 was hampered by injuries.
When healthy, Pugh is as strong in the run game as pass protection. He’s best when playing the guard position, but he has been effective at right tackle at times too.
Pugh was the second best guard on the market behind Andrew Norwell and the Cardinals were able to save $20 million to do so.
The Cardinals have completely revamped their offensive line, we’ll see how it plays out on the field in 2018.