Cardinals' second-year players have much to prove

Like their NFL brethren, the Arizona Cardinals‘ rookies face a dizzying array of challenges.

In moving from college to pro, they take a steep step up in competition where the speed, size, skill, strength and athleticism are all elite. Unlike college where the talent disparity can be significant, virtually every opponent they face was also a star in his own right at the previous level. 

Toss in far more complex offenses and defenses, the grind of the longer NFL schedule, and the white-hot spotlight of the NFL media monster and it makes for an unusually intimidating environment. 

Adaptation takes time. Some never achieve it, but for those who do, the second year is often a harbinger of what is to come. 

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon has worked for seven NFL teams, affording him plenty of data when evaluating the evolution of players early in their NFL careers. Like many coaches before him, Gannon believes that the second year is a big one in which many players find their groove.

“I think the factors in the guys that make big jumps is the learning experience of playing in games, meaningful snaps, getting that experience, good plays, bad plays, and then learning from that and improving their game,” he said Wednesday at training camp. “I told the staff this morning, as a coach, you put somebody out there and he makes a mistake and you feel some type of way, but the best form of learning for the players is to make a mistake and then learn from it.

“How do you know if you don’t put him out there? You don’t even know if he would have made the mistake or not. I think that that’s why you see a big jump from year one to year two.”

The Cardinals second-year players also have an advantage not every player enjoys in a league where annual coaching turnover is the norm.

“They have, I would say, a little bit of a luxury where they have the same staff in place,” Gannon said. “I’ve been on staffs where we’re moving into a guy that’s going into year two, but it’s a brand new system. We have obviously tweaked things, but a lot of it’s the same and there’s carryover so I think that helps — just the continuity of what we’re asking, what we’re doing, the expectation, all that. 

“Hopefully they can perform a little better, but all our second year guys, I’m excited for all of them. I think some guys are set up to make some big jumps. I’m expecting a jump from all of them.”

Based on historical data, Gannon probably won’t get it from all of them, but here’s a look at the key second-year players whose improvement would greatly aid the success of the team.

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Cardinals OT Paris Johnson Jr.

Rookie year revisited: The team’s first-round pick started at right tackle and turned in a credible rookie season, starting all 17 games. There was some question as to whether Paris Johnson Jr. would move to his natural position on the left side this season, but Gannon answered that question when he named Johnson his starting left tackle during OTAs.

Second-year synopsis: Johnson didn’t light it up in his rookie season, but given all of the challenges noted above, and the uncertainty he faced before his rookie season, that’s understandable. While media weren’t sure that Johnson would be starting at left tackle this season, he has known for a while, and that, he said, has made a huge difference in his preparation and mindset.

“That’s a positive; I know where I’m gonna be and I’ve had a lot of months at it,” said Johnson, who used the time by “spending all my moments, whether it was at OTAs or my free time during the summer on my own — whether I’m training here or whether I’m training in California — everything I do in the weight room, field, recoveries is just getting my body prepared to play at the highest level for this upcoming season.”

You can make the argument that the Cardinals have not had an elite left tackle for an extended period of time since Luis Sharpe manned the edge three decades ago. Johnson’s predecessor and mentor, DJ Humphries, may be the next closest competition while Jared Veldheer and Mike Gandy had short runs, but this position has been almost as deep an organizational black hole as the tight end position.

Left tackle is obviously a critical position. That’s why the guys who play it are paid so well. Johnson arrived with a lot of hype and considerable pedigree after a standout career at Ohio State. His ability to lock down the left side and protect Kyler Murray‘s blind side will be critical components to success this season.

“The mindset for me always has been that when I win my one-on-one, the ball goes down the field,” Johnson said. “I think that’s what I’m most excited about… the protections that are a little bit longer plays where the left tackle tends to be a one-on-one are the plays I tend to love the most because halfway through the play, if you’re locking him up and you just know that he can’t go anywhere, you start to smile and you’re like, ‘Oh, dude, ball’s gone. It’s gonna be a touchdown. It’s gonna be a huge gain.'”

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LB BJ Ojulari

Rookie year revisited: BJ Ojulari, a second-round pick (No. 41) dealt with a knee injury last season that hampered his play, but he had his moments, appearing in 17 games and recording four sacks (second on the team), and 40 tackles (23 solos, five for loss).

Second-year synopsis: It’s no secret that edge rushing was a major Cardinals weakness last season. Arizona finished 30th in sacks (33), 31st in QB pressures (98), and last in QB knockdowns (23).

The team did little in the offseason to address the issue via free agency or the draft, other than perhaps the selection of Darius Robinson, who had 8.5 sacks last season at Missouri. Ojulari’s progression could help fill that void. He did have 20 sacks over his final two seasons at LSU.

He may not start immediately. There will be times when the Cardinals utilize five defensive backs to combat passing offenses, but there will also be plenty of opportunity for him this season, whether as a starter or in a rotation.

“I just want to be the best all-around player I can be,” Ojulari said. “Sacks are what get guys accolades and what gets guys paid, but it’s also good to be all-around and not just one-dimensional. Switch it up. Go power, go speed, drop in coverage so they can’t just put one label on you and offenses don’t know what you are doing.”

One label Cardinals teammates won’t put on Ojulari is selfish. He wore No. 18 at LSU, but that’s the number that 2024 first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. wore at Ohio State.

“It means a lot to both of us, but we all came to an agreement to let him have 18,” Ojulari said. “He’s going to be a big part of our offense this year and he’s a great guy.

“He approached me. He gave me a call, we chopped it up; had a good conversation. We all ended up happy. I switched to a different number. It’s all good. We’re all going to make plays and win games.”

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DB Garrett Williams

Rookie year revisited: Garrett Williams, a third-round pick (No. 72), missed all of 2023 training camp and about half the season after tearing his ACL in Syracuse’s game against North Carolina State on Oct. 15. He appeared in nine games (six starts), recording 23 tackles (19 solos), one interception, one tackle for loss and two passes defensed.

Second-year synopsis: The Cardinals cornerback room is crowded. There is significant competition for the No. 2 slot opposite Sean-Murphy Bunting. Williams could be in that mix at some point, but the current expectation is that he will be the Cardinals’ nickel back; a position he manned often last season.

The truth is, Williams could be a guy who stays on the field for the majority of snaps.

“Garrett has the ability to play, honestly, every position in the secondary so he 100 percent has the ability to go out there and earn a role to play every down,” Gannon said. “It’s huge I think in a lot of different ways. With everybody available, you can do a lot of different things because he has the skill set. He can do any technique in the secondary from the safety techniques, nickel, corner.

“When you’re in week 15 and maybe not everyone’s available and you’ve got to move some pieces around, he gives you that versatility because he’s so smart. It provides value in a lot of different ways, but it definitely provides value.”

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WR Michael Wilson

Rookie year revisited: Michael Wilson, a third-round pick (No. 94), played 13 games, totaling 38 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns. He topped the 50-yards receiving mark six times, including a 95-yard effort in the season finale against Seattle. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the injury bug that plagued his Stanford career was also present in his rookie NFL season. He missed four games due to shoulder and neck injuries.

Second-year synopsis: Wilson faces the same consistency questions that most rookie-to-second-year players face, but there are lingering questions about his durability, given his history.

Wilson is expected to start opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. — and with Greg Dortch penciled in at slot receiver. The Cardinals have an array of offensive options when you toss in tight end Trey McBride, and running backs James Conner and Trey Benson, but he could still benefit from the attention that defenses are likely to pay to MHJ.

At 6-feet-2, 213 pounds, Wilson has the size and raw ability to become a legitimate No. 2 receiver in the NFL. He wants to be more than that.

“Just how highly I speak of Marvin, I think I can be in that same tier; in that category,” he said. “I want to go from being a good receiver last year to being a great receiver.”

A big piece of achieving that goal will be building a rapport with quarterback Kyler Murray, which Wilson and other offensive players have tried to do through unofficial workouts away from the team’s Tempe facility.

“We’ve been throwing every single weekend, been throwing at different high schools. Stayed here pretty much every single weekend throughout this whole OTAs specifically so I could train with K1,” he said.

“I told my girlfriend (Soccer star Sophia Smith), ‘I’m not coming to Portland every weekend. I’m staying here so I can work on my relationship with Kyler.’ It’s really been amazing. I can’t articulate how awesome it’s been.”

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DL Dante Stills

Rookie year revisited: Stills, a sixth-round pick (No. 213), played in 15 games and started eight, but was placed on injured reserve for the final game of the season because of a knee injury. He finished seventh on the team with 47 tackles (18 solos, five tackles for loss), 3.5 sacks, five QB hits and one fumble recovery.

Second-year synopsis: Even with the offseason additions, including the selection of Darius Robinson in the first round, Stills is expected to earn a roster spot and be a part of the line rotation. The hope is that Stills will turn out to be a hidden gem deep in the draft class. That would be a boon for the Cardinals, given their need at the position.

Stills posted 52.5 sacks in his college career at West Virginia. He is a massive man at 6-4, 286 pounds.

“I thought I could come in and contribute,” Stills told azcardinals.com after the 2023 season. “It wasn’t perfect. Overall, I wished to prove people wrong. I was our last pick last year and I was a mess through the whole draft. This offseason is the biggest offseason of my life. I’m going to be a whole different Dante.”

Others to watch

TE Elijah Higgins: Higgins, a converted receiver, could still be a factor in the passing game despite the addition of Tip Reiman.

CB: Kei’Trel Clark: The sure-handed tackler is in a deep pool of cornerbacks vying for time.

OL Jon Gaines: Gaines missed his entire rookie season after sustaining a knee injury in the final preseason game and is still rehabbing, but Gannon has been impressed with his offseason commitment.

QB Clayton Tune: Following the trade for Desmond Ridder, Tune is in a battle for the backup spot, likely as the challenger, rather than the presumed guy. One of the storylines to watch will be whether the Cardinals put him on the practice squad to preserve a spot on the 53-man roster spot for more depth elsewhere, or if they keep him on the 53-man to ensure that, given Kyler Murray’s injury history, a potential backup with a full year of development in the system won’t be lost to another team.

LB Owen Pappoe: Pappoe appeared in 16 games last season, recording nine tackles (five solos) with one quarterback hit and one pass defensed. On special teams, he had four tackles (two solos).

CB Starling Thomas V: The undrafted waiver claim from the Lions made significant progress this offseason. He is one of many in the mix at the position.

RB Emari Demercado: Demercado had an impressive 58 carries for 284 yards (4.9 average) last season with a pair of touchdowns. 

LB Tyreke Smith: Smith played a combined three games with the Seahawks and Cardinals. He played just 10 defensive snaps and none on special teams for the Cardinals.

S Verone McKinley III: McKinley did not appear in any games for the Cardinals in 2023.

LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams: Maddox-Williams played three games last season for the Cardinals with five defensive snaps and 30 special teams snaps.

Top photo of Cardinals receiver Michael Wilson via Getty Images

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