Arizona’s cornerback group was hyped up during training camp as one of the league’s finest, an absolute must for surviving the brutal NFC West. Yet, only three games into the season, they’re demonstrating anything but consistency, and frankly, they look to be in serious trouble. The Seattle Seahawks got a firsthand look at that unraveling in Week 2, a game where the Cardinals lost not only on the scoreboard but also their top cornerback for what looks like the rest of the season.
Johnson’s Injury Creates a Dangerous Domino Effect
Man, it’s brutal. Will Johnson, a guy who flashed the potential to be one of the best corners in the entire division, went down with a neck injury in that Week 2 loss against our Hawks. Now he’s on IR and looking like he’s done for the year. That’s a massive, massive blow to their defensive backfield, considering he was their best cornerback. Burke, who already got thrown into the fire as a starter last year, is now filling in for Johnson. Max Melton has stepped into the starting lineup, and Garrett Williams, who has the most NFL games played with 36, is holding down the slot. They even had to bring Starling Thomas up from the practice squad, and now they’re leaning hard on Kei’Trel Clark and Kalen King as key backups. It’s a revolving door, and it’s making them super vulnerable, especially for such a young room.
The Cardinals’ Secondary Isn’t Getting Any Help
It’s not only the injury to Johnson, as huge as that is. Part of the problem is all this shuffling, moving guys around into different positions. Plus, it’s a super young room outside of Williams. These other corners don’t have the game experience you need in this league, especially in the NFC West where you face elite quarterbacks and even better receivers every single week. And here’s the kicker: their defensive front four isn’t getting any pass rush. Quarterbacks are sitting back there, chilling, with ample time to pick apart the secondary. When the pocket isn’t collapsing, those cover guys can’t shadow their man forever, and opposing receivers have been getting wide open all day long in all three games. We even saw Burke bite hard on an early wiggle from WR Mike E in a clip, showing that raw experience can be a liability when you’re forced into action too soon. He was a fifth-round pick last year and should have been brought along gradually, not thrust into the starting lineup again this year.
So, where does this leave the Cardinals? In a really tough spot, man. They’re in the most difficult division in the NFL, facing teams with great QBs and receivers every week. Their corners are inconsistent, green, and getting zero help from the pass rush. It’s a recipe for disaster in the early regular season. As for our Hawks, we’ve already seen how this defensive backfield is vulnerable. It’s going to be interesting to watch how the rest of the NFC West capitalizes on this, and what the Cardinals do next to try and patch up these leaks. You can bet every team in our division is taking notes.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Revenge of the Birds.
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