Cardinals OL A.Q. Shipley's Knee Injury Diagnosed as Torn ACL, Out for Season

Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Wilks announced Monday that center A.Q. Shipley is out for the season with a torn ACL.

"The MRI confirms that it is an ACL [injury]," he said, per ESPN.com. "Very unfortunate situation for him and the team. Tremendous leader, hard worker. When you talk about the DNA that I look for, [he's] a guy that loves the game. Very passionate, gritty. Really was a leader up front, and it's going to be an opportunity for others to step up that this particular time."

Shipley posted about the injury on Twitter:

Shipley, 32, earned a grade of 61.3 from Pro Football Focus last year, 28th amongst centers. But his ruggedness and durability have been important for the Cardinals: 

"I love A.Q., I talked about it last week. He has our kind of DNA, the guy works hard, he's real gritty," Wilks told the Bickley & Marotta radio show Monday, per Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com. "Just a true competitor."

"I think Shipley does a great job just with his communication, identifying the 'Mike' [linebacker] and setting us up in the right protection," Wilks added Friday, per ESPN. "Everything starts with him. Everybody talks about [his lack of] size, length and this and that. But he's gritty. He's dirty. I mean, I love him."

Mason Cole, Arizona's third-round draft pick this year, will replace Shipley as the team's starting center. 

"[Shipley’s injury is] very disappointing, but at the same [time] it's an opportunity for Mason Cole to step up and see exactly what he can do," Wilks said, according to Drake. "There's a reason why we drafted him. This guy started as a freshman at Michigan, which is hard to do, and you talk about never missing a practice."

For the Cardinals, the hope will be that Cole can be as durable as Shipley proved to be in the previous two seasons before Monday's news.