Arizona Cardinals cornerback Denzel Burke and teammate Will Johnson saw a few of their colleagues get cut from the 53-man roster this past weekend. Most notably, the tandem won't have the veteran counsel of Super Bowl champion defensive back Sean Murphy-Bunting heading into 2026.
Murphy-Bunting, who was cut, and defensive back Garrett Williams suffered key injuries last season. Murphy-Bunting landed back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their practice squad, but Williams is expected to play at the nickel back position alongside Johnson, safeties Andrew Wingard, Buddy Baker and Burke.
Johnson was highly acclaimed coming out of the University of Michigan in 2025. Yet, his rookie stint yielded just 10 pass deflections. Burke had similar hype coming out of Ohio
State and tallied in 11 pass deflections to go along with 49 tackles last season. However, both of their efforts did little justice for a Cardinals defense that severely underperformed.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur will dedicate the majority of his discipline designing the team offense but he also understands that he needs his defense to be optimal in order for the team to excel.
If defensive coordinator Nick Rallis can fix the pass rush, Burke and Johnson may see more opportunities to play man coverage. The Cardinals might not have the personnel to outright stop opponents, but if they are able to force turnovers, Rallis knows that his unit will ascend in 2026.
Ultimately, Lafleur believes that Burke and Johnson are in the perfect position to prove their worth playing in their second NFL season. Time will tell how things pan out.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Cardinals' Denzel Burke & Will Johnson must adjust to ascend in 2026
