Does the name Bradley Sowell ring a bell?
No? Don’t worry you’re not alone.
Let me introduce you to the Arizona Cardinals new starting left tackle after struggling Levi Brown was dealt to the Steelers in exchange for a conditional pick in a deal which became official Wednesday afternoon.
All I can do is try my hardest and get out there and see what I got
It ends a rocky seven-year relationship with the much maligned former first-round pick who (by no fault of his own) was selected before Adrian Peterson in the 2007 draft. Cards General Manager Steve Keim said Brown wasn’t living up to expectations on the field and had been considering a change since his Week 1 struggles in a loss to the Rams.
“At the end of the day,” Keim said. “When you realize he is not in the long-term plans…it’s in the best interests of the organization to move on.”
Sowell’s story is certainly a road less traveled. The former Ole Miss Rebel was picked up off waivers after being cut by the Indianapolis Colts at the end of preseason. He played under head coach Bruce Arians last season and with backup quarterback Drew Stanton.
Is he prepared to step in immediately this weekend against the Carolina Panthers and their talented defensive line?
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Sowell told the media near his locker before practice Wednesday. “I won’t know until I get out there, obviously. All I can do is try my hardest and get out there and see what I got.”
Not exactly the vote of confidence Red Bird fans want to hear after the offensive line has been crippled by key injuries to first-round pick Jonathan Cooper and others. Arians and his staff have been shuffling the line frequently through the first four weeks.
Starting quarterback Carson Palmer believes the influx of players at different positions could pay dividends as the season unfolds.
We’ve had a lot of guys kinda bouncing around filtering in and out of the huddle,” he explained at his weekly press conference Wednesday afternoon. “We’ll adjust. It’s the next man up.”
The 6’7, 315-pound Sowell went undrafted two year ago. Coincidentally, he’ll likely be matched up Sunday against his old Rebel teammate, Carolina’s talented Greg Hardy who registered 11 sacks last season.
