All along, Steve Keim fretted about offensive line depth beyond sixth-man John Wetzel. So Tuesday, he made a big move to settle such feelings by getting veteran guard Alex Boone on one of those patented one-year contracts he has worked so well. That doesn’t mean Boone will definitely pay off. While many of these deals have worked out (Winston, Cromartie, Freeney, Dansby-in-2013-and-maybe-2017), some haven’t. Sean Weatherspoon didn’t. Evan Mathis — the veteran guard added last year — didn’t.
But unlike Mathis, who was signed to be the starter and when he broke down it was trouble, Boone shows up with the offensive line already set. Is Evan Boehm proven at right guard? No. But he has been there all offseason and all training camp and preseason and I can’t see the Cards making a dramatic move three days before the opener. (Mike Iupati, on the left side, did practice Monday so it looks like he will be ready for the Lions Sunday.)
If Boehm struggles, though, Boone is there to step in if needed. The Vikings were going to keep him had he taken a paycut. He didn’t so they cut him. But it’s not as if they were going to cut him outright. We’ll see what Boone got from the Cards, but Keim usually gets guys at this point at the price he wants. Boone knows the Cards well, having played against them for many years with the 49ers (and even last year while with the Vikings.) He had many a battle with Calais Campbell. Who knows, maybe he’ll battle Campbell again when the Jaguars come to town.
In the meantime, the Cards have shored up the offensive line, with Keim wanting to make sure if there are more OL injuries — like 2016 — the Cardinals are in the best position to weather such a storm.
