New Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert suffered an ACL tear during the team's Week 1 matchup with the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. Thus, the Cardinals will place the 31-year-old offensive lineman on the injured reserve (IR) list, per the NFL's Ian Rapoport.
The #AZCardinals placed OT Marcus Gilbert on Injured Reserve because of a torn ACL, source said. The veteran’s season is over, which explains the signing of a tackle today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2019
Gilbert will more than likely not return this season, considering the veteran's lengthy timetable to be re-activated following tearing his ACL. Gilbert had only joined Arizona in the offseason; he was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.
With Gilbert heading to the IR, the Cardinals will sign veteran tackle Jordan Mills. Mills was released by the Miami Dolphins at the end of their training camp in August after spending the beginning of his career initially with the Chicago Bears—he was a fifth-round pick-up—and later the Buffalo Bills.
Gilbert entered the league as a second-round selection for the Steelers in the 2011 NFL Draft after a redshirt-induced five-year collegiate tenure with the Florida Gators.
The loss of Gilbert is huge given the stakes in protecting franchise quarterback Kyler Murray. The Cardinals took the 22-year-old former Heisman Trophy-winning signal-caller with the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. Murray was also a first-round pick of the MLB's Oakland Athletics. Given the future, Arizona is placing in Murray's hands (and health), his offensive linemen must be sturdy, so Gilbert going down for the season has tremendous ripple effects.
Despite Gilbert going down and a rough first half from the rookie quarterback, Murray ended up leading the Cards to a furious fourth-quarter comeback, forcing overtime against head coach Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions. The two sides finished Week 1 tying.
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