Garrett Williams Having Outstanding Sophomore Season

Although they relinquished their division lead in a difficult loss in Seattle this past weekend, the Arizona Cardinals have remained one of the top surprises in the NFL. Head coach Jonathan Gannon has helped transform an organization that won just eight of their 34 games over the previous two years, leading them to a winning record (6-5) entering December. 

As a defensive-minded head coach, Gannon’s influence has particularly been felt on that side of the ball. The Cardinals rank just outside of the top 10 in points per game allowed (21.5). For context, they have ranked 31st in that statistic in each of the previous two seasons. This has been a massive turnaround on all fronts, and they have added to that by surrendering just one touchdown in their past three games combined. Long story short, Arizona’s defense is clicking on all cylinders right now, and it is about time cornerback Garrett Williams receives the spotlight he deserves.

Drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Williams missed the first six weeks of his rookie season while recovering from an injury (torn ACL) he suffered in college, but it did not take him long to acclimate himself to the NFL level. In fact, it took him just one game to notch his first career interception.

Appearing in nine games as a rookie, Williams performed admirably. He played between 64% and 90% of the defense’s snaps in a five-game span before seeing his season cut prematurely due to injury. He allowed just a 79.6 passer rating and only six passing yards per target. Those are very impressive numbers, let alone for a rookie cornerback on a struggling defense, but he has taken his game to a completely different threshold this season.

These are not just your standard run-of-the-mill numbers. For perspective, Williams ranks sixth among cornerbacks in passer rating allowed, second in yards per target allowed, and 14th in completion rate allowed. Since returning from a groin injury in Week 6, he has played at least 73.4% of the defense’s available snaps in each game and overall has already eclipsed his rookie totals in passes defensed (6) and interceptions (2). Speaking of which, his last interception came this past Sunday in the same building where he recorded his first career takeaway:

Outside of the fact that Geno Smith may wish to never see Williams again, there is another important revelation from this interception; the second-year cornerback’s instincts were tremendously documented. According to defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, Williams’ preparation is impeccable:

“He takes in as much data as he can to make himself better. I actually heard him having a conversation and some of the stuff that he was saying, it’s like stuff that I wasn’t even thinking about. How he sees the opponent is impressive. And yet ultimately, with people like that, that are that intelligent and that detailed, sometimes you have to be able to filter out the relevant stuff and help them with that. Because ultimately, it’s all about, ‘How can I apply it on the field?’

“Once you take in all those details, what is important for me? We call it the pre-stamp checklist. Like what’s my pre-stamp checklist? What do I really need to know within this coverage that we have or the call that we have within what they’re showing, the situation formation, the people all that. What do I need to know? And then from there, just let it rip. And he’s done a great job with that, and you can see it in his preparation that it’s really paying off on Sundays.”

Williams was also complimented by teammates and coaches for playing “the game within the game” and for committing his focus and energy to being the best version of himself possible. It is easy to forget that while football players may only play once a week, their jobs are a lot busier than that. Oftentimes, it is the preparation that takes place when no one else is watching that makes the ultimate difference, and Williams clearly is determined to never lose the battle off the field. 

To recover from a torn ACL and integrate himself immediately as an impact player at one of the game’s most difficult positions, and then build on that by becoming one of the top-performing players at the position the following year, says everything you need to know about Williams. This is a special player with a very bright future ahead of him, and the Cardinals truly found themselves a gem. 

In many ways, Williams epitomizes what Arizona is becoming: resilient, driven, and ready to overcome all the odds placed in front of them. The Cardinals may have to face vaunted passing attacks such as the Vikings, Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers as the season closes, but you never have to worry about Williams—he’ll be as prepared as ever to help Arizona continue to shock the world.