The Arizona Cardinals will have to play the 2018 NFL season without starting center A.Q. Shipley, who suffered an ACL injury over the weekend.
HC Wilks confirms that center A.Q. Shipley has an ACL injury. https://t.co/QCWrAHdNRI
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 6, 2018
Head coach Steve Wilks confirmed that the injury is season-ending, noting he is very disappointed in the loss of Shipley for the season, but he is excited about this opportunity for Mason Cole.
Shipley has been the team’s full-time starter at center the past two-plus seasons. The former seventh-round pick out of Penn State bounced around the league a bit early in his career but had solidified his value to Arizona as a key member of the team’s offensive line.
Cole was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Michigan. He’s a rock solid offensive lineman, but this development will cause a baptism by fire at one of the most important positions on a team’s offensive line.
For the sake of Sam Bradford and/or Josh Rosen, we hope he can take to the NFL game quickly.