Young Star Named Most Underrated Cardinal

Fans of the Arizona Cardinals know the name Garrett Williams very well. But the rest of the NFL is yet to catch on to the young CB's true prowess.

Pro Football Focus' Jonathon Macri noted the most underrated player from each NFL team. For the Cardinals, it was a certain young slot corner who has sat among the top DBs in the NFL since his return from an ACL tear in 2023.

Macri wrote:

"Williams operated as the Cardinals' primary slot cornerback in 2024, delivering the second-best PFF coverage grade (83.7) among qualifying cornerbacks in the regular season. He is set to once again man the slot in 2025 after allowing just a 25.9% first-down-plus-touchdown rate in coverage there this past season — tied for the seventh-best mark among 114 qualifying slot cornerbacks.

"Williams also let up just 0.67 yards per coverage snap while working out of the slot, which was a top-five mark."

The Cardinals have seen somewhat of a rebirth in their secondary after a handful of lean years defensively. A unit of defensive backs that once allowed hundreds of passing yards has slowly begun to show signs of true development.

Add second-round pick Will Johnson into the mix as an outside starter, and a plethora of DL talent to put pressure on opposing QBs, and Williams could enjoy an even more valuable 2025 season.

Slot corners rarely get all the praise, especially when Williams prevents targets from coming his way frequently. But the 23-year-old CB has a multi-use toolkit, with an ability to both blanket receivers and take the ball away.

He's opportunistic, but with a disciplined approach that limits penalties. The fact that he has done so after recovering from such an impactful injury is quite impressive, and it seems that Williams may still be in search of his full ceiling.

The NFL may not fully know it yet, but there's a black hole in the Cardinals' secondary, and his name is Garrett Williams.