One Arizona Cardinals Trade Candidate Nobody Is Talking About

Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams is slipping through the cracks of obvious trade deadline candidates.

Williams was once a hidden gem for the Cardinals, operating as one of the league's underrated cornerbacks. The third-round pick from Syracuse quickly found his footing as a versatile slot cornerback and appeared to be a pivotal part to the Cardinals' defense for years to come.

That's changed, rapidly.

Williams has now seemingly fell out of favor with the Cardinals' coaching staff. Since Week 6, Williams' snap counts have decreased on a weekly basis. Williams played just eight snaps in Week 8 before logging one snap on Sunday in Seattle.

"Yeah, just think Kalen's (King) doing a really good job at nickel right now," LaFleur said post-game on Williams. "... We have a lot of trust in G (Garrett Williams) and he's going to have another opportunity and when he gets that opportunity, he's going to be ready to roll."

Williams, entering the final year of his contract, has battled injuries since before being drafted by Arizona. He played just nine games in his rookie season after suffering a torn ACL in college. While 2024 was his cleanest (and best) season in the desert, 2025 saw him land on injured reserve with knee and achilles injuries.

Williams made a surprisingly quick recovery from his season-ending achilles tear, emerging back in Arizona's lineup in Week 2. The Cardinals slowly worked him back, though other names such as Max Melton, King and Kei'Trel Clark emerged in defensive coordinator Nick Rallis' favor.

Now, as Arizona looks to accrue more draft capital for 2027, it's become unfortunately clear that Williams appears to be available for trade. The Cardinals, due to injury history and an expiring deal, would likely have to settle for a later round pick from interested teams.

The NFL's trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 2:00 pm MST.