Did Cardinals Bench Starting CB?

The Arizona Cardinals might have benched starting cornerback Max Melton.

Melton, who has started all but one of the nine games he's played in 2025, was featured on just a mere 15 defensive snaps in Week 12's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars while playing ten special teams snaps.

Melton had never played more than five special teams snaps in a game leading up to this week while his 15 defensive snaps was the second-lowest of 2025, just two above the 13 he played in Week 2 against Carolina before leaving with a knee injury.

After only playing two plays in the fourth quarter and none in overtime, what happened?

Cardinals Say Melton Needs More Consistency

Melton would have played considerable snaps in 2025 as a former second-round pick, though injuries to Starling Thomas and Sean Murphy-Bunting all but guaranteed he'd be a prominent boundary corner for the Cardinals this season.

Pro Football Focus grades aren't defining of a player, though his metrics aren't kind. PFF grades him at 109th out of 111 eligible cornerbacks.

Fifth-round rookie Denzel Burke played every snap against Jacksonville - the first time he's played 100% of snaps all season. Slot corner Garrett Williams did the same while Kei'Trel Clark rotated in with 24 plays.

The Cardinals have said they were "rotating" their cornerbacks, though both head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis highlighted consistency as a point of emphasis for Melton to improve.

“It was a rotation and then he got nicked. He had to go in and look at the forearm, but I think it was a little bit of a change up," Gannon said Monday when asked about Melton's low snaps.

"I think (CB) Kei’Trel’s (Clark) earned the right to play a little bit. (CB) Denzel (Burke), I think is doing a good job. I thought Max for what he did in the game on defense played well, and then I thought he really impacted the game on fourth down too, which helped us.”

When asked what Melton needs to do to return to starting, Gannon said:

“I think just consistency.”

Rallis, meeting with reporters today, offered this when asked about Melton:

"Just continue to improve on his technique and consistency. It's everybody - as a defense we need to improve on our consistency. But Max can go out there and play winning football, absolutely. It's just a matter of doing it all the time."

With Will Johnson potentially returning from a back/hip injury this week, it will be interesting to monitor Melton's role on the defense moving forward.

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