Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton (16) against the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

New Injury Means Cardinals Defense Could Take Another Hit

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals have added cornerback Max Melton to their Week 5 injury report against the Tennessee Titans with a hamstring injury, and he is now questionable.

Melton - a 2024 second-round pick - impressed towards the tail end of his rookie campaign before being forced into an established starting role thanks to injuries on the depth chart ahead of him, as both Starling Thomas and Sean Murphy-Bunting will miss the entire season.

With Garrett Williams on injured reserve for the foreseeable future, Arizona has relied on a trio of Melton, Will Johnson and Denzel Burke in the cornerback room.

However, Johnson (groin) and Burke (knee) are also questionable ahead of Sunday.

The Cardinals are heavy favorites to beat the Titans, though Melton's absence would complicate things on the boundary of Arizona's defense. It looks like Kei'Trel Clark could be in line to see some work if any of the three injured corners aren't able to go.

We'll get official inactives 90 minutes prior to game time on Sunday, which is set for 1:05 PM MST at State Farm Stadium.

Melton has struggled this season according to Pro Football Focus, as his grade of 44.9 ranks 141st out of 165 NFL cornerbacks in 2025.

Cardinals Hope to Limit Explosive Plays

The Cardinals are riding a two-game losing streak entering Sunday, and Arizona will need to limit big plays on the defensive side of the ball in order to make that happen.

“To me and (Defensive Coordinator) Nick (Rallis) (who) I think thinks pretty similar to me, certain games (with) how you choose to defend you know you're going to put your guys in some stressful downs, and you have to be okay with some," Gannon said.

"Other games, you're trying to keep them all off the board. I'm not going to tell you how we're going to defend this week, but I would say this. With explosive plays, I'm OK if the stress of the call—there’s situation, strength and stress of each call, right? When you're calling it, what's the strength, what's the stress? If they find the stress for an explosive play sometimes you can live with some of those. If the strength of the call is to take away explosives and they generate explosives, I am not OK with that.

Coming out of Seattle, I felt that happened too many times so that's always something that we talk about and hang our hat on because we know that's a stat that wins. I do think we have to do a better job of keeping the explosive play battle down as it relates to defense on that side of the ball. We have to do a better job. You can't have a five-play drive that goes 70 yards, and they score a touchdown. That’s not good defense, and he doesn't call it accordingly like that.

"I think it's self-inflicted explosives we have to minimize.”