Standing on the sidelines watching the Cardinals offensive line, Jonah Williams began to envision what his presence could bring to the unit.
For 22 snaps in the season opener against the Bills, he and the Cardinals had a glimpse of what that looks like before the right tackle went down with a knee injury. Since then, Williams has been eyeing his return.
"My thing is I have to go be the best rehabber that I can possibly be today," Williams said. "I've had a good time coming back with these guys, but it's definitely a lot more fun to be out there on the field playing."
Whether Williams plays against the Seahawks on Sunday has yet to be determined. Williams is listed as questionable and his official status won't be known until 90 minutes before kickoff when inactives are announced.
While sidelined with the injury, right tackle Kelvin Beachum has performed nicely in place of Williams. According to Next Gen Stats, Beachum has allowed the lowest pressure rate among 34 right tackles with at least 150 pass blocks.
"I'm proud of the guys for how they've been playing, with running the ball really effectively and good in pass protection too," Williams said. "Fortunately, I don't have to watch and say 'Man, they need me out there.' I like to think I can elevate the group, but they're doing a great job either way. It's been fun to watch."
For running back James Conner, it doesn't matter which offensive lineman are in the huddle, although "I'm happy that (Williams) is back and he's a big time player for us," he said. With rain in the forecast, there's a chance Sunday's game will heavily rely on the rushing attack.
The Seahawks are a team Conner has had success against. In the season finale last year, Conner rushed for 150 yards and scored a touchdown. In that game he also eclipsed his first career 1,000-yard-plus rushing season.
But Conner was quick to note that "no plays I've made before can help me in this game, so I've got to come with it." He'll have an opportunity to replicate that performance against the 27th ranked run defense in the NFL. The Seahawks are allowing nearly 139 rushing yards per game.
"We know we've got to run the ball versus everybody we play," Conner said. "We definitely look and see what's going to put us in the best situation and give us the best advantage to run the ball."
Conner is a large reason why the Cardinals have an elite ground-and-pound scheme, ranking fifth in the league with almost 150 rushing yards per game and second with 5.2 rushing yards per play. But Conner is no bigger reason than the men up front blocking for him.
Chemistry and continuity along the offensive line is significant as the second half of the season begins. With a healthy Williams, the Cardinals are tasked with the decision of placing him back into the lineup or continue to ride the hot hand with Beachum.
"We weigh all the variables and then decide what we think is best for the team for that game," coach Jonathan Gannon said. "But the good thing is that a lot of different guys have played. A lot of different guys have played different spots, and they've played with each other quite a bit now. We're going to make sure the communication is on point, the operation is on point, and we keep playing at a high level."
In a place like Lumen Field, where the crowd is notoriously known for being loud and causing pre-snap disruption, communication along the offensive line has been a point of emphasis throughout the week. Whether that has any impact on the Cardinals offensive line dilemma is probably at a minimum.
However, Williams is itching to get back.
"I'm excited to go practice now, but games are always another step up," Williams said. "It's a lot of fun to play here and I got to feel that for those 22 snaps. I wish it was more like a couple 100, but for those 22, it was fun."
