Arizona Cardinals LT Paris Johnson believes one rookie free agent will be a star
The Arizona Cardinals did not bring in a large rookie free agent class. They signed six after the 2025 NFL draft and added a seventh later on. As of right now, none appear to have much of a shot to make the 53-man roster.
However, perhaps we should pay attention to one, as one of the Cardinals' starters is a big believer in him.
One of the Cardinals' undrafted rookie additions was tackle Josh Fryar. One of many former Ohio State Buckeyes currently on a team, he has the support of starting left tackle Paris Johnson, also a former Buckeye.
"I know the guy he is, and while I know he came in undrafted, I believe the Cardinals have a star," Johnson said, according to AZCardinals.com's Zach Gershman. "Since I was in college, I always said 'whatever team Josh Fryar is going to be on, he's going to be a long-term guy because of the way he works, his mentality, the way he shows up, and the way he loves to take coaching and advice.'"
Making the active roster is going to be tough. The Cardinals have their starting tackles set with Johnson and Jonah Williams. Veteran Kelvin Beachum signed a fully guaranteed contract to return in 2025. He will be the primary backup swing tackle. Tackle Christian Jones, drafted in the fifth round in 2024, also returns.
Depending on how many total linemen the Cardinals keep on the active roster, keeping more than three tackles isn't a guarantee, so Fryar would need to beat out Jones and prove to be more valuable on the roster than others at other positions.
He does have a connection to new offensive line coach Justin Frye, who coached Fryar at Ohio State.
Fryar is almost certain to earn a spot on the practice squad. The contract he signed has $234,000 in guarantees, which is equal to 18 weeks of salary for a player on the practice squad.
Maybe Johnson is simply hyping up a former teammate, but if he is everything Johnson says he is, he profiles to be the type of player who can stick around the NFL for many years.
With such an endorsement from a starter, Fryar is a guy to watch when he gets some preseason action next month.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe onSpotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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