GLENDALE – The Arizona Cardinals suffer another serious injury during the first week of training camp. After injuries to 1st-round pick Walter Nolen and linebacker J.J. Russell, a third injury occurred during Friday’s practice with Starling Thomas V tearing his ACL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The 25-year-old started 15 games in 2024, recording the second-most pass deflections on the roster with six. Thomas went undrafted in the 2023 draft and was initially signed by the Detroit Lions before being cut by the NFC North division winners, as Arizona claimed him off waivers afterwards.
Thomas had quickly developed in a pillar for the team’s secondary, and now joins fellow pillow in Sean-Murphy Bunting on the IR and will both miss the 2025 season.
October 15, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V (24) before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
What’s next for Cardinals?
The injury means it’s next man up for the franchise on its depth chart, with three names expected to pick up the slack: Will Johnson, Max Melton and Garrett Williams. After having two experienced defensive backs in front of him on the lineup, with Johnson has quickly climbed up the ranks and has a strong argument to being CB1 for the defense.
The 2nd-round pick was a projected top-10 before injury concerns, and now ironically will find an increase amount of reps because of injuries to his teammates. Johnson is an All-American, who helped lead the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championship and will make an impact in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.
Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V (24) against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Fellow 2nd-round pick, Melton, appeared in all 17 games but only started three. He was behind Thomas in pass deflections with five of his own and had 51 tackles last season. The 23-year-old is entering only his second year but is forced to pick up his responsibility in the secondary.
Williams is the highest-ranked zone coverage defensive back in the NFL by PFF. The 24-year-old has a case for the most underrated cornerback in the league, leading the Cardinals with nine pass deflections. Williams appeared in 16 games and started 11 last year, as he has become a ball hawk in Nick Rallis’ defense.
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams (21) is introduced before their game against the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Sep 22, 2024. Syndication: Arizona Republic
The trio of cornerbacks have an average age of 23-year-old and three seasons of pro football amongst them. Safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson are the veteran leaders for the secondary and the defense, with their biggest responsibilities of giving the tools to the trio of cornerbacks to pick up the slack for the injuries plaguing the team heading into 2025.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
