Cardinals Rookie OL Chase Bisontis Tears MCL, Likely Out for Season

Preseason football is a cruel, unnecessary tax on NFL rosters, and the Arizona Cardinals just got handed a massive bill. Second-round offensive lineman Chase Bisontis is officially out for most, if not all, of his rookie season after tearing his MCL.

Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo broke the news late Friday night, confirming that the promising young trench piece requires surgery. The only silver lining here is that the damage is isolated to the MCL, but that is like saying your car is totaled but the radio still works. He is still missing the year.

"Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported the torn MCL requiring surgery, noting he is out most or potentially all of the season."

The injury happened during Arizona's 27-14 exhibition win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Winning a preseason game by two scores feels great for about five minutes until you realize it cost you a premium draft pick who was supposed to anchor the offensive line rotation.

For a Cardinals team trying to build a legitimate wall in front of their franchise quarterback, losing a second-round talent before the real games even start is a brutal setback. Bisontis was drafted to be a foundational piece, and now his rookie campaign is effectively a redshirt year spent in the rehab room.

From a market perspective, this is the exact type of quiet roster erosion that shifts win totals and offensive efficiency metrics. You do not usually see the line move immediately for a rookie lineman, but losing high-end depth in August is how a team ends up starting a practice squad guy against a premier pass rush in November.

Arizona now has to scramble to patch the hole on their depth chart before Week 1. As for Bisontis, the focus shifts entirely to a 2027 return, leaving the Cardinals to navigate a grueling NFC West schedule down a very important man.