Arizona Cardinals: 5 burning questions in 2018

4. Can Andre Smith hold up?

There was a time when Smith was one of the best right tackles in the NFL. A player of his massive size with such quick feet is certainly a rare commodity. Unfortunately, his last three seasons have been mediocre, at best.

The offense doesn’t need him to be a star in 2018, but they do need him to be a quality starter. Specifically, they need Smith to be much better in pass protection. Pro Football Focus rated him as the 68th best tackle with at least 178 attempts last season. Clearly, that stat means he’s putting Cardinals’ signal callers at rick on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any quality replacements waiting in the wings. Smith’s current backup is John Wetzel. He’s an experienced option, but doesn’t have the quality to become an NFL starter anytime soon. Smith will be given every opportunity to bounce back in 2018.

Smith is also an important factor for the Cardinals’ hopes of running the football effectively this season. His size gives him a chance to be dominant in this facet of the game. Unfortunately, when you watch him on film you don’t see Smith really generate push from the line of scrimmage. It might be too much for the coaching staff to hope for that to change at this point in his career, but it’s another area where Smith can improve.