Last season, Hjalte Froholdtwas playing center for the Cardinals, but whether he was going to stay at center was an unknown.
Prior to his first season in the Valley last year, Froholdt spent majority of his career at guard with limited snaps at center, and even into training camp the question was if he could start all season.
But there was a vision for the Danish lineman.
"We felt like we had some inside intel with (offensive coordinator) Drew (Petzing) and (quarterbacks coach) Israel (Woolfork) being there and (head strength and conditioning coach) Evan Marcus being there with them," coach Jonathan Gannon said. "They all jumped on the table and said 'This guy is going to do that. All he needs to do is play.'"
Froholdt won the starting role last year and never looked back. He started every game for the Cardinals and was credited for keeping the line in check when opposing defenses were posing threatening schemes.
While he admitted that he tries not to think of the starting role as his, to avoid becoming complacent, focusing solely on one position throughout the offseason has provided him with a different approach.
"It helps with figuring out your pace whenever there is a guy an inch from you compared to a guard where the pace is a little bit different since he might line up a little bit wider," Froholdt said. "At center, you got these bumper plates on your side and you kind of ping pong in between a little bit."
The change in tempo, as well as the stance in run and pass protections, are some of the other differences Froholdt is honing in on throughout training camp. "It's been nice to just stick to one thing instead of learning all three and having to perform at all of them," he said.
He also mentioned the benefit of having Evan Brown, the interior lineman who appears to be the leading candidate for starting left guard, by his side. Brown also has experience playing center.
Froholdt is entering the final year of his contract with the Cardinals, his third team since 2020. The 6-foot-5 center shared that he's happy to "have found a place that I can call home right now," but it will always depend on his role with the team.
Hoping to improve off of last season is the first step towards continued success on the gridiron.
"Playing pretty much every snap last year has definitely helped me to find out where I want to be at," Froholdt said. "This is the second year of figuring out what's the best for me to prep for game time, because I got 17 of these guys, plus more. We have to figure out how to be ready for Sundays and I feel really good about it right now."
KNOCK KNOCK, COACH
With the Cardinals practicing near State Farm Stadium for training camp, the team stays at The Wigwam resort, just a few minutes down the road. Regardless of location, whether at The Wigwam or the Cardinals facility in Tempe, Jonathan Gannon keeps his office door propped open.
The players have had no issues making an appearance.
"I'm a no shut-door guy, but I'm going to have to shut my door at some point because it's like all 90 are walking in and coming in and talking, but that's cool," Gannon said with a smile. "The players are the game, and the best part of the job are the players. I never shy away from contact with the players or hearing them talk or having them be themselves. That's what we want."
Authenticity has been an instrumental trait in defining and building the culture the players have raved about. Gannon said the conversations can be anything from a quick greeting to "Did you see rep five of team two? Is that what you're looking for? How can I improve that?"
Gannon's willingness to have these interactions stem from the coaches he's spent time with throughout his career in football. Each has led in different ways. For Gannon, he doesn't plan on closing that door any time soon.
"If I shut my door could I get more work done in an hour? Probably," Gannon said. "But that's not how I want to do it. I want to make sure I'm connected with the players."
BIRDGANG IS BACK
Thursday's practice was the first of nine practices that are open to the public. As part of the NFL's Back Together Weekend, Sunday's practice is open exclusively to Cardinals season ticket holders.
With Thursday's practice serving as a high-tempo day, the energy was already intensified, exceeding the vibes from the opening practice. Fans in attendance boosted the vibes even more.
"Maybe nobody more than me loves when the fans are out there," Gannon said. "They'll give you energy and juice man, so we look forward to having people out here as much as we can. It's kind of a precursor to when our home opener, I know it's going to be loud and it's going to be a home field advantage for us. We got good fans here and we've got to put on a show for them."
