Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson (0) against the Kansas City Chiefs during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cardinals Avoid Potential Crisis on Defense vs Titans

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Oct 5, 2025 2:41 PM ET

GLENDALE -- Despite the Arizona Cardinals having three of their starting corners questionable entering Week 5's home date with the Tennessee Titans, disaster has been avoided.

The Cardinals will see Will Johnson and Denzel Burke active today against Tennessee, though Max Melton will be out.

Offensive guard Will Hernandez is also slated to make his first appearance since tearing his ACL last season. He's active.

Cardinals Inactives

Max Melton, Xavier Thomas, Darius Robinson, Evan Brown, Demontrey Jacobs, Josh Fryar, Xavier Weaver

More on Cardinals Injuries

Johnson, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury, was reportedly given the green light yesterday. The second-round rookie has flashed talent in every game he's played and will be a big boost in a banged-up secondary.

Melton was a late addition to the injury report with a hamstring, being added on Saturday, while Burke practiced all week with a knee injury.

Melton is a tough loss, though having Johnson and Burke active should go a long way for preserving the Cardinals' chances of winning in Week 5.

Burke, a fifth-round rookie this season, has been thrust into the lineup and has relied on his hefty experience playing at Ohio State.

"Awesome. Doesn't blink at all. He's improving his game. He's working on some things, and he'll continue to have a rule moving forward," Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters.

"It's been great. But, but again, when we drafted him, if you just look at the makeup of the person and a player, the guy started as a true freshman at Ohio State like - that doesn't happen often if the game is too big for you, so we kind of knew what we're getting there."

More Cardinals vs Titans

Arizona's 255.5 passing yards allowed per game ranks bottom five in the NFL entering this week, and the secondary has already sustained serious injuries to names such as Sean Murphy-Bunting, Starling Thomas and Garrett Williams - all of whom were projected starters prior to the start of the year.

We could also see Kei'Trel Clark enter the lineup with Melton being out.

The Titans own the league's worst passing offense at 123.5 yards per game while Cam Ward is the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL entering Week 5 with 17 sacks through the first four games.

Cardinals-Titans will kickoff at 1:05 PM MST at State Farm Stadium.