Cardinals' Biggest Summer Question Revealed

The Arizona Cardinals made arguably the steal of the 2025 NFL Draft when Michigan cornerback Will Johnson fell to the team in the second round.

Johnson was once considered the best defensive back in the draft class entirely and a potential top-10 draft pick. However, Johnson saw the majority of last season marred by injuries before reports emerged during the pre-draft process of long-term concerns over his knee - with belief Johnson could have a shortened career due to long-term injuries.

And so, the 2024 CFP National Championship Defensive MVP slipped all the way to the 47th overall pick. Just about no one saw it coming, and the Cardinals were more than happy to snatch up the elite cover man as late as they did.

Johnson arrives in the desert with no shortage of hype and expectations even with the concerns brought up during the pre-draft process. He should regardless find a way to make some kind of impact on the field eventually, but he has an outside chance to be a starter out the gate.

It has posed the question for many as to when he will be ready to go.

Cardinals' Biggest Question Ahead of Training Camp Revealed

In an article posing the biggest questions facing every team as of now, Bleacher Report's Matt Holder asks, "Can Will Johnson hit the ground running?"

In his questioning, Holder asks about the aforementioned injury concerns that we discussed. Holder had this to say:

"...part of the reason for the Michigan product’s slide is that he’s coming off an injury-plagued campaign, casting some doubt he’ll return to form."

As Holder said, Johnson is fresh off a 2024 season where he did not look himself after playing at the highest of levels in previous seasons. It's fair to ask when a player will be 100% himself again after dealing with lingering injuries that persisted for the length of a season.

And once again, long-term questions will perplex many.

Holder did note a recent comment from PHNX Cardinals' Bo Brock discussing observations from practice regarding Johnson on a podcast:

The cornerback might have eased some concerns during OTAs:

"'He looked smooth,' host Bo Brack said on June 4. 'He looked like someone who was higher than the 47th overall pick in the 2025 draft, and that’s answered prayers from the football gods for Cardinals fans.'"

Cardinals Fans Should Be Excited for Will Johnson

This should be very exciting news for the fans who have monumental expectations for Johnson. Whether it's fair to assign them is up to interpretation, but it's more than fair to say he is good enough to be a day one difference-maker.

I've said many times I believe in Johnson to prove himself as the alpha cover man the secondary has been searching for. When that happens is up in the air, but Johnson can absolutely live up to that dream.

He's already shown it off on the field in Ann Arbor. As long as he's healthy, there won't be much if anything to stop him from regaining his form.

But for now, Johnson's availability is amongst the biggest questions that the Cardinals have as we enter the dog days of summer. There may be several other mysteries that need solving, but when Johnson will arrive on the field and start for Arizona is perhaps the greatest of them all.