Cardinals OT Poised for Breakout Season

Paris Johnson Jr. can emerge as the next great offensive lineman in the NFL.

Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) rushes against Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (70) during the first quarter at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are switching Paris Johnson Jr. back to the left side of the line after the sixth overall pick spent his rookie season starting for the organization at right tackle.

He's pretty excited.

"Yeah, I think personally, just Year 2, being able to fulfill all of the expectations that I have for myself, expectations that the team has for me being here. My goal ultimately is to be the best tackle in the game,"Johnson told NFL Network earlier this week.

Johnson - even as a right tackle - faced some of the game's best edge rushers during his first year at the professional level.

Now, switching back to a more familiar position with a year's worth of service under his belt, many expect Johnson to take the next step in 2024.

Pro Football Focus listed Johnson as one of their five breakout candidates along the offensive line:

"Paris Johnson Jr. is currently walking the typical young offensive tackle development pathway. A left tackle in his final college season, he was moved to the right side for his first NFL season and will now move back to the left side in Year 2 because of the departure of D.J. Humphries," wrote Sam Monson.

"Young tackles are also often better as pass blockers than they are as run blockers early in their NFL careers, as counterintuitive as that can be.

"Johnson earned a PFF pass-blocking grade of 64.2 as a rookie, almost 10 grading points better than his performance in the run game. He allowed 42 total pressures but produced six PFF game grades of at least 74.8 in pass protection and improved as the season progressed.

"If he continues the typical offensive tackle development pathway, Johnson is primed for a big jump in performance in Year 2 and could become one of the better young tackles in the game for the Cardinals."

PFF isn't the only outlet sipping the Kool-Aid, as Bleacher Report recently listed Johnson as Arizona's top building-block moving into the future.

"Similar to Robinson in Atlanta, positional value is the reason that tight end Trey McBride isn't the Cardinals' representative. Instead, the honor goes to Paris Johnson Jr. because of his projected future as the left tackle. The current plan, per Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon, is flipping Johnson from the right side to protect Kyler Murray in 2024," wrote David Kenyon.

What exactly transpires in the desert moving forward in 2024 remains to be seen. We've yet to see Johnson take live snaps at left tackle in the NFL and as a whole, Arizona is still largely unproven.

Yet if players such as Johnson can continue their trajectory in terms of growth, the Cardinals should be a team to monitor.

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