Arizona Cardinals Bet Big on Will Johnson's Rise
From a rookie who held his ground against Puka Nacua to a player expected to anchor the defense, Will Johnson faces the pressure of becoming a true star in his second season.
The turf at State Farm Stadium still smells of summer heat and cut grass. Will Johnson stands in the shadow of a helmet, eyes scanning the horizon of the practice field. He is quiet, calculating, a stillness that belies the chaos of the game. Last season, he was good. This season, the Arizona Cardinals need him to be great.
Mike LaFleur knows this feeling. For three years, he hunted these players from the offensive side, looking for cracks in the armor. Now, as a coordinator in the NFC West, he sees Johnson differently. He sees a puzzle that refuses to be solved. In Week 18 last year, LaFleur thought he had found a weakness. He called a hitch-and-go for Puka Nacua, betting that Johnson would bite. Johnson did not. He stayed deep, holding his ground with a calm that unnerved the Rams. The play failed, but the lesson stuck. Johnson was harder to read than any opponent LaFleur had faced.
Intelligence Over Raw Talent
Johnson’s mind is his most dangerous weapon. He was a projected first-round pick before injuries pushed him to the second round of the 2025 draft. LaFleur calls him a smart, smart football player. That intelligence shows in his playmaking. Among 85 cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps, Johnson ranked 12th in pass breakups and ninth in forced incompletion rate. He did not need to pick off the ball to disrupt the offense. He made the quarterback hesitate, forcing incomplete throws and altering routes before they even began.
But the numbers tell a mixed story. Johnson ranked 56th in Pro Football Focus’ coverage grade and 77th in passer rating when targeted. He was targeted by 33 more cornerbacks than he was, yet the Cardinals’ secondary was below average. The gap between good and great is wide. It is a gap that requires more than just intelligence. It requires consistency, health, and the ability to make plays that change the flow of a game.
The Ceiling of a Defense
The Cardinals have two anchors in their defense. Budda Baker roams the back end, altering offensive game plans with his presence. Josh Sweat pressures the edge, forcing quarterbacks to throw away from him. But they need more. They need a cornerback who can be trusted on every down, who can make the opposing offense think twice before targeting the other side of the field. That is the role Johnson is expected to fill. He and Walter Nolen are the two players who can realistically ascend to that level. Their success will determine the ceiling of this defense.
LaFleur believes in that potential. He says that having a corner you can trust on first, second, and third down changes the way teams scheme against you. You do not have to protect them as much. You can play more aggressive, more risky football. That is the kind of impact Johnson is expected to have. It is a high bar, but one he has already shown he can clear in flashes.
Health and the Long Road
The biggest obstacle is not talent. It is health. Johnson has dealt with a string of minor tweaks since arriving in the NFL. An ankle injury held him out of practice last week. A lower back injury forced him to miss weeks 10 through 12 last season. Before that injury, he was emerging as a lockdown cornerback. He ranked eighth of 85 cornerbacks in PFF coverage grade, with a 74.9 score. That was the version of Johnson the Cardinals hope to see consistently this year.
The road to stardom is long and paved with injuries. But Johnson has the mind to navigate it. He has the speed to chase it. He has the intelligence to understand it. Now, he just needs the health to sustain it. The Cardinals are betting on that. They are betting that the quiet, calculating rookie of last season will become the loud, dominant force of this one. The turf is waiting. The helmet is resting. The moment is now.
