ARIZONA - The Arizona Cardinals enter voluntary offseason activities this week with most of their roster constructed after massive talent acquisition periods from free agency and the draft.
Positions such as running back and quarterback stole the show in the desert this offseason, two of the more eye-catching spots for fans to recognize and discuss. While those players are obviously vital to an offense's success, much of the Cardinals' work along the line of scrimmage hasn't shared a similar spotlight.
And that's perhaps the most important upgrade the Cardinals have made this offseason.
Arizona 's offensive line last season, for lack of better term, looked lost. The Cardinals' starting five was depleted by injuries and was under the watch of a rookie offensive line coach after coveted coach Klayton Adams departed for the Dallas Cowboys .
Those factors, combined with overall poor team play, pinned Arizona's offensive line down to near the bottom of NFL rankings and rightfully so.
Fixing an offensive line isn't sexy. It's not making headlines, generating season ticket revenue or selling out jerseys by the fistful - yet for as much as the game of football changes, especially at the NFL level, the game is still won and lost within the trenches.
Arizona first began the upgrades in free agency, where the Cardinals made left guard Isaac Seumalo their top signing at a three-year, $31.5 million contract. Other faces in Matt Pryor, Oli Udoh and Elijah Wilkinson were signed (all with starting experience) with Wilkinson expected to be the guy at right tackle.
Work continued early in the draft, where Arizona used their second-round pick on guard Chase Bisontis , who is expected to eventually win the starting right guard position. The Cardinals also walked out of the draft with versatile tackle Jayden Williams.
Last season, the Cardinals' offensive line ranked near the bottom of the league in advanced stats such as yards averaged before contract on ball-carriers. While success is not promised, early signs of improvement are there for Arizona.
Take into account the below chart in Mike Clay's tweet, where Arizona's offensive line grades out as the 15th-best in the league.
In one offseason, that's a strong turnaround. There's always going to be weak spots along an NFL roster - such is life. Right tackle isn't quite solidified in terms of stable play while we still need to see Bisontis both win the right guard job and execute to expectation.
With that being said, the Cardinals did do well in terms of effort to improve an offensive line that had quality guys in left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and center Hjalte Froholdt already in store.
And if the Cardinals' offense does that take expected leap, fans will point to Jeremiyah Love or maybe even Carson Beck as a proponent of that success. While either or both could be the case, it's hard not to believe Arizona's quiet but strong effort in the trenches to add starters on top of key depth guys will have paid off, too.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/onsi as Nobody's Talking About the Cardinals' Biggest Offseason Improvement .
