At a time when the biggest story out of Arizona focuses on whether and to what extent quarterback Kevin Kolb is “scared,” every fan of the team should now be very afraid.
A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that an MRI on the injured triceps of left tackle Levi Brown reveals a tear that will require season-ending surgery.
The Cardinals are expected to get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews before proceeding, but it’s believed at this point that Andrews will agree.
D.J. Young most likely will get the first crack at replacing Brown. The free-agent cupboard is largely bare, with Chad Clifton the biggest name on the market. Marcus McNeill recently retired, and his neck possibly would keep him from playing, even if he wanted to pull a Favre.
The good news for the Cardinals is that, with a maximum of 90 players on every roster, the other 31 teams will be dumping up to 1,147 players over the next 13 days as the August 31 deadline for cutting to 53 approaches. Some of those players could be tackles more competent than the in-house options in Arizona.
The other possibility would be to swing a trade with a team that is willing to send a left tackle packing.