Garrett Williams back for Week 1? Cardinals receive ‘great news’ on CB, others

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur left Wednesday’s meeting with his staff a happy man.

From a health standpoint, Arizona came away relatively unscathed through mandatory minicamp and the rest of offseason work, save for Kaleb Proctor’s torn meniscus.

But it was the development in cornerback Garrett Williams’ recovery from a torn Achilles tendon suffered just last December that gave LaFleur another reason to grin.

 

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“We got great news on Garrett. That will not happen for him to be back right (for the start of training camp), but when I first got here, it was like an October, November (return),” LaFleur said. “Now, we’re talking about getting in training camp and getting him going.

“He’s put so much good work in, what a special human being he is and what a really good player that this defense missed last year when he went down.”

LaFleur added that setbacks could also come into play with Williams and other injured Cardinals working their way back this offseason, but that Williams “for sure” has a chance to play Week 1.

If Williams does in fact make it back on the field for training camp, that would put him around the seven- or eight-month mark since he went down with the torn Achilles on Dec. 21. That timeline is giving off some serious Lourdes Gurriel Jr. vibes after the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder returned from a torn ACL well ahead of schedule in 2026.

Whenever Williams gets back, he’ll provide an immediate boost within Arizona’s defense. Arguably Arizona’s top option at cornerback, Williams has carved out a huge role at nickel, though he has the ability to move outside if needed.

Walter Nolen III, others trending up along with Garrett Williams

Walter Nolen III, who is recovering from a meniscus injury, is also among those moving in the right direction ahead of Arizona’s training camp reporting date on July 22, LaFleur said.

“There could be setbacks, but right now, all this is trending great for the 22nd for all these guys where we feel really good,” the head coach said.

“Had that meeting today with the staff and we feel really good about all those guys who weren’t out there practicing that they’ll be available right when training camp starts, barring a setback.”

Even before the Proctor injury, Nolen was already being counted on as someone to help lead the defensive line following the departure of Calais Campbell this offseason.

The second-year pro only played six games last year due to injuries but was a difference maker across that small sample size.

Aside from Williams and Nolen, it sounds like running backs James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee), tight end Tip Reiman (ankle) and linebacker Karson Sharar (hamstring) could be seeing a return to action by the start of training camp or shortly thereafter.

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