Cardinals Second-Round Rookie Suffers Long-Term Injury

The Arizona Cardinals, in their inaugural preseason match against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night, secured a 27-14 victory. However, the triumph came with a somber note as rookie guard Chase Bisontis suffered a long-term injury. Head coach Mike LaFleur disclosed post-game that Bisontis sustained the injury during the third quarter when a Raiders defensive lineman inadvertently collided with his left knee.

The severity of the injury was evident as Bisontis was immediately taken off the field on a stretcher, and LaFleur's comment that it didn't look good underscored the grim prognosis. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo confirmed via source that the injury is likely to be a long-term setback. This news is a significant blow to the Cardinals and Bisontis, the latter of whom was anticipated to vie for the starting right guard position with Isaiah Adams.

The competition for this crucial role may now shift to Adams, unless the Cardinals opt to recruit additional talent. Bisontis is scheduled to undergo additional medical assessments to confirm the extent of his injury, but the preliminary prognosis suggests his absence from the team could stretch until later this year or even into 2027.

Bisontis was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the 34th overall selection, from Texas A&M University. At Texas A&M, Bisontis displayed exceptional skills, earning freshman All-American and freshman All-SEC accolades. The Cardinals' struggles with rookie offensive lineman injuries are not unprecedented.

In the past four preseasons, the Cardinals have dealt with similar setbacks: sixth-round pick Hayden Conner missed most of the regular season in 2025 due to an injury sustained during the preseason, fifth-round pick Christian Jones missed a substantial portion of the regular season in 2024 due to a preseason injury, and fourth-round pick Jon Gaines missed the entirety of the 2023 rookie season due to a preseason injury.

This pattern of injury troubles for fourth consecutive rookie offensive lineman underscores the Cardinals' recurring misfortune in this area.