Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: OL Elijah Wilkinson

Jess Root, Cardinals WireTue, Jul 14, 2026·2 min read

The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp on July 22 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team.

Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2025, questions they face and their roster outlook.

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Here is offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson.

Elijah Wilkinson background, 2025 season

This is Wilkinson's 10th NFL season and his second with the Cardinals, although he was not with the Cardinals last season.

Wilkinson played for the Cardinals in 2023, starting nine games at left guard.

He entered the NFL as a rookie free agent out of Massachusetts, signing with the Denver Broncos in 2017.

He played four seasons for the Broncos, starting 26 games between guard and tackle. He spent a year with the Chicago Bears in 2021 and one with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 before signing a two-year withe Cardinals in 2023. He was cut before the 2024 season and returned to the Falcons for two seasons.

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Last year, he started all 17 games at right tackle for Atlanta and played every snap.

Elijah Wilkinson contract details, salary cap hit

Wilkinson signed a two-year contract worth $6.25 million this offseason. He was paid $1.5 million in a signing bonus and will earn a fully guaranteed $1.58 million in 2026. He can also earn up to $425,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

His cap hit in 2026 will be almost $2.9 million.

Roster outlook, questions he faces

As things stand, he is a roster lock and will be the Cardinals' starting right tackle in 2026. How long will he hold the job? The Cardinals have other unproven tackles in Josh Fryar, Oli Udoh, Christian Jones, Demontrey Jacobs and rookie Jayden Williams.

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He played every snap last season, but he also led the league in penalties, so can he go from full-time starter to solid full-time starter?

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: OL Elijah Wilkinson