The Arizona Cardinals have more than a few needs on defense if they wish to make the unit better for 2024. Not only do they have needs all across the defensive line and edge, basically the front seven, but corner is also a position they must overhaul.
However, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN had a bit of a dissenting opinion about the Redbirds need for a corner. Remember, this is a team forced to use Marco Wilson (who was cut toward the end of the year) as the top cornerback, and the Cards should have had regrets about rolling with the third-year pro as early as Week 1. But that didn’t stop Weinfuss from stating the following:
"“The Cardinals aren't in desperate need of a No. 1 cornerback, but they're about as close as a team can get. It'll be a priority this offseason, and signing a veteran in free agency would likely be the best move, especially with such a young unit at the moment. Arizona allowed a 68.6% completion rate to opponents, second worst in the NFL.”"Josh Weinfuss
Source: 2024 NFL offseason: Key free agents, draft notes, predictions
A No. 1 corner is one of the Arizona Cardinals biggest needs
If you were to rank the biggest needs on the Cardinals, you would list No. 1 corner in the top-tier, along with edge, defensive line, No. 1 receiver, and tackle. While Weinfuss is correct to a degree in the quote shared above, anyone who watched or even followed the Cardinals from a distance last season knows how easily opposing teams picked on Wilson, Kei’Trel Clark, and Starling Thomas V.
They did have a tougher time with Garrett Williams and Antonio Hamilton, but Williams has only given us a half-season sample size and Hamilton is an unrestricted free agent. While Williams could still emerge as the top corner in Glendale, there is no way general manager Monti Ossenfort can go into 2024 assuming that will be the case. He tried it with Wilson this past season and it did not go well, or else we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Until the Arizona Cardinals passing defense stops allowing No. 1 receivers to dismantle their secondary, finding a No. 1 cornerback should be one of the top offseason priorities. We can hope Garrett Williams ends up as the guy, but until he proves himself, he’s a No. 2 or even a No. 3 corner at the moment.