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NFL OL Rankings: Where Do Arizona Cardinals Land?

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NFL OL Rankings: Where Do Arizona Cardinals Land?


With very, very few exceptions (looking at you, Cincinnati Bengals…) it’s next to impossible to have offensive success without good offensive line play. The last Super Bowl perfectly encapsulate that after the Philadelphia Eagles dominated upfront with their starting five, while the Kansas City Chiefs crumbled with theirs.

The Arizona Cardinals enter 2025 with the same five from last season. That group played much better than expectations originally placed on them and they certainly deserve props for that.

But are they good enough to go further this year than last? And where do they rank amongst the rest of the league?

I am tossing out my personal ranking of the best offensive lines in football with the Cardinals placing higher than you may think. We will start at the top with the team that is unquestionably number one.

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Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson

This is a group is undoubtably the best in the NFL. I don’t have much to say other than that. Each of these players, except for Steen, has an argument to be their best at the position in the league.

Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Conner McGovern. O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown

The Bills have quietly had one of the leagues best offensive lines for several years now. They’re running back this room, which will continue to allow Josh Allen to play at an MVP level.

Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey

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The Broncos offensive line gets it done without any superstars, but everyone does their job exceptionally well and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Taylor Decker, Christian Mahogany, Tate Ratledge, Graham Glasgow, Penei Sewell

The lions must replace Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler, but the tackle duo of Decker and Sewell is perhaps the best in the league. I also like their interior to step up and fill those shoes.

Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch, Luke Goedeke

The Buccaneers have had good offensive line play for several years even while replacing studs. Wirfs is as good as it gets at left tackle, but their interior trio is very slept on.

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Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary

The Falcons have plenty of name brands value for this unit, but they live up to their billing. The right side of the line with Lindstrom and McGary is elite, proved to be worth their investments in round one of the same draft.

Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Roger Rosengarten

A healthy Stanley is still an above average blind sign protector, even in the late stages of his career, while the youthful Linderbaum and Rosengarten are proving to be future keystones. The guard play is shaky, but could even itself out.

Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Brian O’Neil

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Darrisaw is fantastic, but health has not been his friend. On the opposite side, O’Neill is terrific and undervalued. The interior is brand new, but they are safe options that could be really good.

Rashawn Slater, Bradley Bozeman, Zion Johnson, Mekhi Becton, Joe Alt Jr.

The interior line is a mess, but maybe swapping Bozeman and Johnson will yield better results. The tackle duo of Slater and Alt is beyond elite, which makes this group better from those two alone.

Rasheed Walker, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom

I’m not sure how many offensive lineman the average fan could name for the Packers. The group is well above average with almost no household maintenance. Jenkins has made the Pro Bowl, but he’s still not nearly as well known as other centers.

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Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terence Steele

The Cowboys continue undergoing changes on what was once the leads best front five without question. Guyton will need to play better than his rookie debut, but Smith is amongst the best guards in the league. Average play from the other three, with hopes that the rookie Booker can develop quickly, you’ll make this offensive line tremendous.

Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, Darnell Wright

This offensive line is unrecognizable from what was the leagues worst a year ago. The Bears were aggressive in trading and signing big-time players that, in theory, should turn the group around. But on paper the group looks great.

Paris Johnson Jr, Evan Brown, Hjalte Frojoldt, Isaiah Adams, Jonah Williams

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The Cardinals are yielding, an average offensive line at worse this year, with Johnson looking to secure his first Pro Bowl. The rest of the line is mostly unchanged, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not likely to suddenly become better.

Trent Williams, Ben Barch, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz

Williams really does carry this group, but the rest of the guys are no better and no worse than average. Elite play from Williams and average play from everyone else should give the Niners enough consistency to bounce back from what was a horrific offensive season of the year ago.

Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves, Braden Smith

The Colts’ offensive line has some very underrated starters, including Raimann at left tackle. Nelson is the real star of the show here, but Smith can hold his own. The word is out on Gonclaves and Bortorlini.

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With the league that is loaded with elite ass rushers inside and out, having great lineman can determine your success.



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2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals

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2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals



Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.

The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.

But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?

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The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.

NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.

Here is the general trade value chart teams use.

Here are some potential deals that could be done.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.

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The third overall pick is worth 514 points.

The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.

To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.

One deal could be:

  • Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
  • Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)

Another could be:

  • Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
  • Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)

The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.

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Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.

This deal is close:

  • Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
  • Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.

This deal could work:

  • Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
  • Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)

Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.

They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com

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Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com


PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.

Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour

The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

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“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”

By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.

Expect more gusty, dusty days this week

The relief may be short-lived.

ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.

“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”

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It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.

It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.

“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.

Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.

KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.

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Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona

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Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona


The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year. 

In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat. 

The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan. 

With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community. 

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The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.

One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU. 

The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure. 

Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.

Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.

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In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.  

The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows. 

“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”

As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.

“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said. 

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Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.

“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.

The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.

Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country. 

“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”

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