Cardinals' Silence After Chase Bisontis Injury Speaks Volumes

Aug 13, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Arizona Cardinals guard Chase Bisontis (57) in the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cardinals' Silence After Chase Bisontis Injury Speaks Volumes

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Aug 18, 2026 8:55 PM ET

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ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals made no moves today via the league's transaction wire, and their silence is a fairly loud vote of confidence for one particular position on their roster.

The Cardinals lost second-round pick Chase Bisontis to a knee injury in their last taste of preseason action, specifically an MCL tear that will require surgery. His injury is expected to keep him out for most of the year, if not the entirety of 2026.

Bisontis was pushing to compete with starting right guard Isaiah Adams, who has shown improvement ahead of his third season but has yet to consistently hold down the fort in prior starts.

Besides losing Bisontis as a potential starter, Arizona's depth in the interior offensive line took a massive hit. Many expected the Cardinals to explore the open market and at minimum bring in players to potentially sign.

The last few days, that hasn't been the case. Arizona's had no reported visits or workouts with offensive linemen, and that's a heavy indication the team is counting on guys already on the roster to step up.

"It's probably different for every player that gets hurt. The situation with Chase is unfortunate, but that happens every year," Cardinals assistant general manager Dave Sears said this week.

"... You'll see guys come across the waiver [wire], but we're probably a couple weeks out from people really starting to make moves in that sense. But it's really still internal competition. We've got some good depth guys on this roster right now who are fighting for spots. Obviously, Chase's role was undefined at this point. He's a rookie still trying to find his way. Just an unfortunate situation with him."

Who Could Fill That Void?

Jon Gaines is the immediate name that comes to mind. Beyond second-team center duties, Gaines has capability to play at either of the guard spots and would likely be first up if Arizona needed a fill-in at any of the three positions.

Hayden Conner is also a name to watch, as he's gotten some run with the second team entering year No. 2. Conner was a late-round pick that is still early in his development.

Also, free agent signing Oli Udoh most recently has starting experience at tackle but has earlier starts at both left and right guard. He's played 74 career games.

Anything can change between now and roster cut-down day on Sunday, Aug. 30. Arizona isn't expected to play majority of its starters in the remaining two preseason games, so we're likely to see backups get plenty of run — which will allow the Cardinals a bigger sample size of evaluation.

Will they try to find a suitable depth guy when combing through the waiver wire? Absolutely, though as of now, their confidence resides in familiar faces.

This article first appeared on Arizona Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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