Paris Johnson Jr. Ready To Take The Lead For Cardinals

Left tackle wanted to earn respect before getting vocal

Jul 16, 2024 at 01:16 PM

Darren Urban

azcardinals.com

Post-workout on Tuesday, Paris Johnson Jr. speaks about the ramp-up to play left tackle.

Paris Johnson Jr. entered the press conference room on Tuesday, still sweating from his just completed workout but in a place of mental strength he couldn't have had as a rookie last year.

He will be the team's left tackle, a piece of knowledge he didn't have when he first arrived and there was a chance he could play tackle on either the right or left side, or perhaps even guard. (He ultimately played every snap at right tackle before being moved at the outset of the offseason.)

Yet Johnson's personality also screams leadership, and that was naturally muted a season ago in his first season.

"I came in knowing I was going to be a huge part of this team starting that first year but at the same time, I never wanted to be that guy who comes in the first year and says, 'This is my room now,'" Johnson said.

"I want to be able to add to the room and I want to be respected by the room before my leadership role begins to develop and become more established."

As the first choice of the Monti Ossenfort regime, and at a position both Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon value perhaps more than anything other than quarterback – offensive line – Johnson has always been seen as a foundational piece.

The shift to the left side was long seen as inevitable.

The significance of playing on quarterback Kyler Murray's blindside isn't lost on Johnson. It's long been considered a premier position. His last foray at left tackle was his final year at Ohio State, when his quarterback was C.J. Stroud and the passing game included new Cardinals teammate Marvin Harrison Jr.

That's when Johnson said he developed the mindset of how he needs to play at left tackle.

"I think that's what I might be most excited about," Johnson said. "Especially when the protections are the longer ones and are one-on-one, (those) I tend to love the most, because halfway through the play if you are locking them up and you know they can't go anywhere, you start to smile a little bit. 'Oh dude -- ball's gone. Ball is gone and it's going to be a touchdown, it's going to be a huge gain.'"

Johnson "is a specimen," Murray said, so he makes sense on the left side.

"He's played left before in his life so something he's got to get back to, and he will," the quarterback said.

Left tackle is a premier position because of the guys who have played it – Hall of Famers like Walter Jones and Orlando Pace, long-time standouts like Trent Williams and Andrew Whitworth. Johnson watches all of them.

In a perfect world, Johnson's game reaches the same level, where young tackles are told, "That's a guy you need to watch" and learn from the effort, the finish, the technique.

That kind of performance can only help the Cardinals. And it certainly would draw deference in the locker room.

"It's all about respect," Johnson said. "I'm still trying to grow, but also speaking up more, especially at left tackle, which is a whole different role."

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Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. (70) partnered with Coca-Cola to donate 10,000 bottles of water to UMOM New Day Center on Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Phoenix, AZ.