Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Justin Murray will be out two or three weeks due to an ankle injury suffered in training camp, head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Tuesday.
That was a primary reason the team added offensive lineman Rashaad Coward on Tuesday. Like Murray, Coward can play either guard or tackle.
Murray’s place on the team is likely as one of the first backups. He played in 14 games with 12 starts at right tackle in 2019 before sliding to right guard for 13 games and seven starts in 2020.
Last season, Murray started one game and appeared in two more before a back injury ended his season.
Arizona originally signed Murray in September 2018 after roster cutdown day and before the start of the regular season.
Coward worked out for Arizona on Monday and has 15 career NFL starts, with 10 of those at right guard and five at left.
The Cardinals believe the 27-year-old, who has appeared in 34 games between the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, can also bump outside to tackle.
Coward entered the NFL as a defensive lineman out of Old Dominion in 2017 but with Chicago was moved to the offensive line. He’s also spent time on the roster of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons.
The offensive line for Arizona projects to start left tackle D.J. Humphries, left guard Justin Pugh, center Rodney Hudson, right guard Will Hernandez and right tackle Kelvin Beachum.