The Arizona Cardinals are set to practice on Friday ahead of their home matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, but the team has already ruled out a pair of key pieces on defense.
Before even getting a chance to prove themselves as healthy enough to play, the Cardinals ruled out safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring) and cornerback Max Melton (heel).
In a press conference at the beginning of the week, head coach Jonathan Gannon made it clear that he would not play anyone if they showed signs of injury.
“If they’re not healthy enough to play, I ain’t going to put them out there,” Gannon said.
Week 16 seems like it’s going to be another instance where the Cardinals will need to see younger players step up in the absence of Thompson and Melton. At cornerback, we can expect to see more reps from Denzel Burke, the rookie out of Ohio State who has already seen his fair share of time.
Burke, a fifth-round draft pick this past year, saw action earlier this year in the absence of Will Johnson. With six starts to his name, Burke has racked up 35 total tackles, eight passes defended, and a pair of interceptions.
At safety, it will likely be Dadrion Taylor-Demerson taking reps in place of Jalen Thompson. The second-year player has appeared in nine games thus far, but has only two starts to his name. In 2025, he has 36 total tackles with five passes defended so far.
Not only will the Cardinals be starting a pair of rookies at corner in Will Johnson and Denzel Burke, but the team will also be seeing an incredibly young, inexperienced safety take the field.
To make matters worse, Atlanta wide receiver Drake London seems to be trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday. London has not played since Week 11, as he has been dealing with a knee injury. We couldn’t imagine the damage he would do to this banged-up Arizona defense.
Both teams have long been eliminated from playoff contention, so in hindsight, this game doesn’t really matter unless you are looking at it from a draft pick perspective.
We will learn more about what the full injury report will look like ahead of Sunday’s game, but for now, it is not a good look for the defense. Jonathan Gannon will need to rely on big performances from young, inexperienced defensive backs, but he can only ask for so much.
Kickoff at 2:05 p.m. Mountain Time.