GLENDALE – The announcement of Arizona Cardinals placing cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting on reserve/non-football injury list, ending his 2025 season. Murphy-Bunting signed a 3-year $25.5 million contract with the franchise last offseason and started in 15 games. The 27-year-old recorded three interceptions and five pass deflections in his lone season in the Valley and will spend the second year on the sidelines. A development that wasn’t a surprise to the Cardinals.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!According to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss, Arizona knew about Murphy-Bunting’s season-ending injury before the 2025 NFL draft, which led to general manager Monti Ossenfort having the draft that played out.
Oct 21, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (23) against the Los Angeles Chargers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Weinfuss on Murphy-Bunting’s injury:
“Some context to the Cardinals putting Sean Murphy-Bunting on the NFI list, which will cause him to miss the 2025 season: Arizona knew about Murphy-Bunting’s injury before the draft and it influenced the Cardinals’ approach, a source told ESPN.
“They ended up drafting two corners – Will Johnson out of Michigan and Denzel Burke out of Ohio State – last month. SMB’s absence will force Arizona to bring along some younger CBs faster than the Cardinals had intended.”
Cornerback Will Johnson during the Cardinals rookie minicamp at the Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe on May 9,2025. Syndication: Arizona Republic
The news about Ossenfort and the front office knowing about Murphy-Bunting’s injury make them being able to grab Will Johnson 47th overall even sweeter. It’s surprising that the franchise didn’t panic to try and trade up to grab Johnson when he first began to slip because of losing a starting defensive back.
Ossenfort grabbed an All-American in Johnson and a Arizona-native in Ohio State’s Denzel Burke to work together to fill in the absence of Murphy-Bunting ahead of next season. Johnson is touted as a future No. 1 cornerback in a secondary, but the time for him to step up comes sooner than expected after the devasting injury news surrounding Murphy-Bunting.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
