Cardinals suffer injury blow as key CB tears ACL

Despite being undrafted in 2023, Thomas established himself quickly on the Cardinals defense. 

In his first two seasons, he started in 22 games and posted 85 tackles, 11 pass breakups and one forced fumble. In 2024, he started 15 games, allowing only 30 total receptions, with six pass deflections and 47 total tackles. 

On Pro Football Focus, Thomas earned an overall grade of 60.9 in 2024, which ranks him 116th among 222 other qualified corners. He possessed a coverage grade of 60.9 and a run defense grade of 58.0. 

Now with Thomas expected to be sidelined for the entire 2025 season, the Cardinals' cornerback depth will take a significant hit. The team had some roster flexibility prior to the injury but now faces a thinner group. The unit will now rely heavily on second-round pick Will Johnson, as well as 2024 second-rounder Max Melton.

Johnson was selected 47th in the 2025 NFL Draft, which was a surprising drop given his dominant 2023 season. The drop was primarily due to injury concerns that held him out of most of 2024 and limited him in draft workouts. There was concern over his long-term health, as well as if his athleticism would remain intact. So far this training camp, Johnson has reportedly been running with the first team and has shown flashes of solid play.

Melton was drafted 43rd in the 2024 NFL Draft. He showed several flashes throughout his rookie season, especially towards the tail end of the year. He totaled 565 snaps, with a PFF coverage grade of 56.1. With the injury to Thomas, Melton will likely move into a full time starting role, which he states he feels confident in. 

"Year 1 was everything I wanted to be," Melton said during an appearance on "Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke." "It was a learning process and by the end of the year, I felt like I was full-fledged and that’s exactly how I feel like going into Year 2. I feel like it’s time to take off this year and that’s exactly what we’re going to do."

For Thomas, the injury is a tough blow, but the expectation is that it will only be a short setback. With his talent and work ethic, there should be a ton of optimism that he can return stronger. The Cardinals will be counting on him to make a full recovery and reclaim his role within the team's secondary.