The Sports Xchange

GLENDALE, Ariz. — In three offseasons as general manager, Steve Keim has made upgrading the Cardinals’ offensive line a priority. This year, Arizona expected to field its best one in years.

But recent events have delayed that.

Right tackle Bobby Massie faces a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. That reportedly stems from a DUI arrest in January.

And last week, left guard Mike Iupati went down because of a knee injury. He had the torn meniscus repaired and is expected to miss one-to-two weeks.

Ted Larsen takes over at left guard, where he played most of last season, and Bradley Sowell replaces Massie at tackle.

Larsen and Sowell are decent backups, but this is not the offensive line the Cardinals envisioned starting the first month or so.

The results last Saturday night against the Chargers were mixed. Quarterback Carson Palmer was sacked twice and hit another time in nine dropbacks. Backup quarterback Drew Stanton was sacked four times.

Not all the sacks were the fault of the offensive line, but each starting tackle, Sowell and Jared Veldheer, gave up one.

Protecting Palmer is imperative, because the Cardinals love to throw deep and that requires time.

“If we can protect Carson, we have some guys who can not only create separation, but can be explosive,” Keim said Monday morning on his weekly appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

“It’s one thing to get beat physically, but to blow assignments mentally is unacceptable,” Keim said. “At times, the offensive line didn’t do a good job of picking up stunts.

“On other plays, running backs blew assignments.”

Losing Iupati and Massie has forced coaches to make other adjustments, too.

Rookie D.J. Humphries started practicing at left tackle after playing the right side all spring and summer. And Earl Watford, primarily a guard, will be given a chance to beat out Sowell at right tackle.

Head coach Bruce Arians has been critical of Humphries throughout camp. He was expected to push for the right tackle job, but Sowell has a big edge because he shows for work every day. Humphries shows up “once a week,” Arians said.

But Humphries played left tackle at Florida, so the cross-training shouldn’t be difficult for him.

“If he’s going to dress on Sundays, he’s got to be able to play both, so we’ve got to get him a little left tackle work,” Arians said. “That’s his natural position so it shouldn’t take him long to re-establish his footwork and stuff.”

–Quarterback Phillip Sims might have edged ahead of Logan Thomas for the No. 3 spot. Sims played well against the Chargers, completing 8-of-13 passes for 82 yards and leading the Cardinals to 10 points in the fourth quarter. “I thought in the second half there were some shining bright lights,” Arians said. “One was Phillip Sims, who I thought had a really, really good fourth quarter and had good command of what he was trying to do.”

–Rookie running back David Johnson made an impressive preseason debut, gaining 66 yards on 13 carries, all in the first half, against San Diego. Johnson started slowly and looked indecisive on his first three runs, but seemed to find a groove after that. “We had a nice talk about dancing,” Arians said. “He can go out on Dancing With The Stars if he wants to dance.

That’s not unusual for young running backs, who have to learn what works in college doesn’t necessarily work in the NFL. They can usually out-run corners and linebackers (in college), and that’s not going to happen here.”

–Running back Chris Johnson sustained a hamstring injury in practice last week, but it’s not as serious as first feared. On Saturday, Arians said Johnson would miss a week or two. By Monday, Johnson was “day to day.”

–Outside linebacker Shaq Riddick (hamstring) returned to practice this week after missing most of training camp.

–Nose tackle Xavier Williams, an undrafted rookie, continues to impress and he is likely to make the team. He has passed nose tackle Alameda Ta’amu on the depth chart.

–Inside linebacker Alani Fua, an undrafted rookie, has played well on defense and special teams. At 6-5, his wingspan can create problems for quarterbacks, and he’s shown good speed on special teams.

–Cornerback Jerraud Powers is fighting a hamstring injury. He is missing time this week and cornerback Justin Bethel is starting in his place.