Amid Injury, Who Can Step Up in Cardinals CB Room?

Sean Murphy-Bunting is out for the season and the Arizona Cardinals are now looking to fill the void at CB1 following his departure.

The good news, or rather great news for the Cardinals is they have terrific depth at the position and no shortage of youth.

It’s a room the new front office under Monti Ossenfort has been quite aggressive in addressing and adding talent and depth. some fans may find it excessive, but it’s a position that you can never take too many swings on or have enough depth at in today’s NFL.

In three seasons under this regime, the Cardinals have selected seven cornerbacks and signed six through free agency. The team has found plenty of success with those moves to justify the investments made.

2023 third-round pick Garrett Williams is one of the game’s best nickel corners. Last year‘s second round pick Max Melton has emerged as a possible starter for the future. The aforementioned Murphy-Bunting inherited a starting role after his signing. Starling Thomas was added as a UDFA and has more than earned his roster spot.

And there is tons of excitement for last year‘s third-round pick Elijah Jones and certainly this year‘s second round pick Will Johnson.

Not including SMB, the four guys we just mentioned have starting potential. Don’t forget about this year‘s fifth-round pick Denzel Burke, too. It’s also worth noting Arizona signed Jaylon Jones in free agency to compete for playing time.

Now, those six will have a free-for-all to find a starting spot on the outside. Two spots are available and no one’s job is guaranteed.

And that’s a very good thing.

Allow me to present a brief argument for each player to grab a starting role on the outside:

Will Johnson

We can make it as simple as this — Johnson’s is inevitable to be Arizona's top cover man. Johnson was taken in the second round despite him being a top 10 talent from this year‘s draft. Even before Murphy-Bunting’s injury, it always felt as though Johnson would eventually be his successor.

Max Melton

I don’t think any of last year‘s rookie corners stood out as brightly as Melton did. He made place on the ball and was a strong tackler. His inside/outside versatility also gives him a nice edge to find the field.

Starling Thomas

The former UDFA started 15 games a year ago and played much better than any expectations that may have been placed on him. Thomas finished second on the team with six pass breakups, and his number of starts will be hard to look past.

Elijah Jones

We didn’t get to see Jones play last season, but the former third-round pick and standout Boston College DB has a chance to reassert his name in this group. Jones had as much playing time in college as any guy on the current roster and that experience could/should come into play.

Jaylon Jones

The former Bears corner was signed this offseason to contend for a potential starting role for the team. He may not have done that much with Chicago, but a change of scenery may do him some good. Don’t rule him out to start as the team’s lone veteran.

Denzel Burke

The Valley local is certainly a longshot to start, but he was an impact player in all four seasons for Ohio State. He’s got the tools to be an NFL starter, but he does need plenty of refinement to get there. If he can speed track that development, somehow, he has a chance to shock us all and start.

Others

I will mention that Kei’Trel Clark and Jaden Davis are also competing in the room, but their focus should be on earning a roster spot rather than a starting role for now.

It will be quite an exciting competition with such a young and talented room of cornerbacks. The position does have uncertainty, but the potential answers overshadow any looming question marks. 

Fans should be excited about the room if for no other reason then realizing the majority of it is homegrown — certainly the best contenders for starting time were drafted and developed by this team.

If I were to give my way too early prediction, I would start Will Johnson and Starling Thomas with Garrett Williams inside at nickel for week one.

I’ll round this out with my current projected boundary depth chart:

1. Will Johnson
2. Starling Thomas
3. Max Melton
4. Jaylon Jones
5. Elijah Jones
6. Denzel Burke