TEMPE, Ariz. -- This offseason is where Cole Toner's IQ -- both football and academic -- came in handy.

Toner, a second-year Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman, had to learn his second new position in as many offseasons when he was inserted at the first-team center while starter A.Q. Shipley recovered from core muscle surgery. Last offseason, as a rookie, he learned how to play guard at the NFL level.

But if there was anyone on the Cardinals who could handle cramming a new part of the playbook, it's the Harvard graduate.

Toner said his education at center didn't include relearning the entire offense. He just had to learn it "fully." As center, Toner's responsibilities would include recognizing the defense -- including certain positions -- and then setting the protection. He's the trigger point for the offense long before the quarterback gets the snap.

"It was hectic," Toner told ESPN. "It was stressful, too, to try to learn everything. At center you just need reps. You can study as much as you want but at some point you got to get reps which is what I did, which is good for my development, good for my versatility so I can play center if we need me to and feel good about it."

While there isn't a better way to learn than facing a live defense, Toner felt he was able to get a taste of what to expect should he have to play at center during the regular season.

The Cardinals' defense had a different "theme" each practice, meaning they would run certain blitzes that fit together. But the offense never knew what was coming, forcing Toner to adjust the coverage on the fly.

"They run so much stuff that it's hectic as a center trying to keep up with all that," he said.

Toner had been preparing for this moment, albeit not directly. While current right guard Evan Boehm learned the offense through the center position last year as a rookie, when he was being groomed to be Shipley's replacement at center, Toner casually kept tabs on what Boehm was being taught in the event he'd called upon to play center.

That moment came when Shipley had surgery and Boehm was at right guard.

Learning center didn't just make Toner the likely successor to Shipley should he go down, it also gave Toner incredible position flexibility. He can now play four of five positions on the offensive line. The lone exception for the former Harvard right tackle is left tackle.

Coach Bruce Arians felt Toner grew stronger throughout the offseason but, after one rough practice in which Toner snapped the ball over the quarterback's head a handful of times, he described Toner's play at center as just "OK."

"It's gone well," Toner said. "I enjoyed it. It's a lot of fun being in that competition every day and going against guys like (defensive tackles) Corey (Peters), Frostee (Rucker), who are just good veterans and crafty, and really make me work hard and have me use my technique."