Shortly after becoming the Cardinals head coach, Bruce Arians said that he didn’t believe that the Cardinals’ offensive line was as bad as it looked last year.
One of the key parts of his argument was the absence of left tackle Levi Brown from the lineup for the entire season with a torn triceps injury that continued to keep Brown off the field during this year’s offseason workouts. Brown has finally made his return to the field this week, though, and Arians said that the tackle “looked real good” in his first football work in almost a year.
“It’s been a while since I’ve actually done football stuff and it’s taken some getting used to,” Brown said, via Darren Urban of the team’s website. “There are new plays as well as adjusting to issues with the arm, getting the confidence back in it, things like that. It’ll come during these few practices. It’s a good time to get back out there, with no pads. You can throw the arm out there and see how it feels.”
Arians has referred to Brown as an “elite” left tackle at points this offseason, something that’s a bit of a stretch based on his performances when healthy in the past. He’s definitely better than the guys who replaced him last season, though, and that, along with the addition of guard Jonathan Cooper, should lead to improved play up front on offense this season.