This season will feature a lot of changes in the Arizona Cardinals‘ cornerback room. The team will be relying on Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, Garrett Williams, and Max Melton for much of the season.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur provided an update on the team’s plans at the position with ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. The first is an injury update on Johnson, who is dealing with a “lower body” injury. LaFleur said they’ll be smart with the second-year corner.
The Cardinals are banged up a bit at the cornerback position. Along with Johnson, the team is managing Garrett Williams’ return from an Achilles injury. LaFleur says that Williams is in a ramp-up period and his Week 1 status could be decided late in the week.
Between now and the Cardinals’ Week 1 showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers, there will be a lot of moving parts in the cornerback room.
Cardinals Provide Updates on Will Johnson and Garrett Williams
While the Cardinals probably aren’t too worried about Will Johnson’s status for Week 1, the rest of the cornerback room is in flux. There won’t be an injury report until next week, when the regular season cycle starts.
The Cardinals activated nickel corner Garrett Williams from the Physically Unable to Perform list on August 20. His injury news led to the team electing to part ways with veteran slot corner Sean Murphy-Bunting.
With Williams questionable for Week 1, the Cardinals need a backup plan in the slot. That answer is second-year corner Denzel Burke. Head coach Mike LaFleur said they’ve been working Burke and safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson as the nickel corner.
In addition to Williams’ availability, the question is also how many snaps he can play to start the season. If the fourth-year corner needs to play on a tight snap count, then having Burke or Taylor-Demerson fill in becomes more important.
Arizona can afford to make that decision, as Max Melton could start across from Will Johnson on the outside. Fourth-year corner Kei’Trel Clark is another option as well.
Cardinals CB Room Entering Week 1
The Cardinals have five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster, but with two of them battling injuries, their depth becomes important. The Chargers are starting Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, and Tre Harris at receiver.
If they are without Will Johnson or Garrett Williams against Los Angeles, Arizona could be very shorthanded against the Cardinals. That may be why they’re exploring further options at the nickel spot.
In addition to the five corners on the 53-man roster, the Cardinals brought back Starling Thomas V on the practice squad. Thomas lost out on the final spot to Clark, but his 22 career starts make him a Week 1 elevation candidate from the practice squad.
Kalen King is also on the Cardinals’ practice squad. However, he has just one game to his name.
Cardinals Provide Will Johnson, Garrett Williams Injury Updates After 53-Man Roster Cutdowns