Eight months removed from a December 2025 Achilles tear, Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams is ready to return to practice. The Cardinals activated Williams from the physically unable to perform list, the team announced Thursday.
Although Williams was recovering from a torn ACL at the time, the Cardinals took a third-round flier on the former Syracuse standout in 2023. He debuted in Week 7 of his rookie year and went on to start in six of nine games. While playing almost exclusively in the slot, Williams finished with two pass breakups and an interception. Opposing quarterbacks only managed a 79.6 passer rating on 27 targets when Williams was the nearest defender.
Williams’ second season ranks as his best so far. While seeing significant time in the slot and in the box, he started in 11 of 16 games and set career highs in tackles (58), pass deflections (nine) and INTs (two). The 5-foot-10, 192-pounder held QBs to a 56.5 percent completion rate (down from 66.7% the prior year) and a 73.9 passer rating on 62 targets. Williams’ performance wowed Pro Football Focus, which rated him as the league’s third-best cornerback.
Williams’ Achilles injury was not his only health issue last season. He also landed on IR after suffering a knee injury in Week 2. The 25-year-old wound up playing 10 games and operating as a full-time starter for the first time. Williams was mainly a slot corner for the third straight year, but he also amassed a career-high 173 snaps on the outside. He ended 2025 with five PDs and a pick, though he also surrendered career worsts in completion percentage (80%) and QB rating (129.2) as the closest defender on 35 targets. While PFF regarded Williams as an elite corner the previous year, he dropped to a middling 57th among 112 qualifiers in the site’s rankings last season.
Williams should continue as the Cardinals’ top slot CB this season, the last year of his four-year rookie contract. He could be in line for a sizable raise next offseason if he stays healthy and performs well. If not, the Cardinals have Sean Murphy-Bunting as a potential fallback option. Like Williams, Murphy-Bunting is attempting to bounce back from a serious injury. He missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL and MCL damage.
With Williams healthy again, outside linebacker Josh Sweat and tight end Tip Reiman are the last players left on the the Cardinals’ active/PUP list. Sweat is “looking good” in his recovery from a knee injury, head coach Mike LaFleur said Thursday (via Darren Urban of the team’s website). Reiman, still working back from the season-ending ankle injury he suffered last October, will not be ready for Week 1. The Cardinals could shift Reiman to reserve/PUP on cut-down day on Aug. 30, which would keep him out for the first four weeks of 2026, but they have not made a decision yet.
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