A. Q. Shipley has always been the other guy.
He wasn’t Lyle Sendlein last year, the Cardinals’ longtime center who re-signed in training camp and beat out Shipley for the starting job. He’s not Evan Boehm this year, the rookie fourth-rounder who many believe will take over and solidify the center position for seasons to come.
Shipley played a valuable jack-of-all-trades role for the Cardinals in 2015. He filled in at center when Sendlein missed a game and played tight end and fullback in run-heavy packages. But at age 30, the NFL journeyman would love to nail down a starting role for the first time in his eight-year career.