Cardinals coach Arians does not see a hole at CB position
Mar 29, 2017, 10:45 AM | Updated: 11:37 am
PHOENIX — In fairness, whoever lines up opposite Patrick Peterson is going to end up on the wrong side of highlight reels.
Teams are hesitant to throw to whatever receiver the Pro Bowler is covering, meaning every other defensive back is going to see the ball come their way more often.
That’s just how life is in the Arizona Cardinals’ secondary, which took a hit this offseason when cornerback Marcus Cooper left for the Chicago Bears.
Without Cooper, who was acquired for a seventh-round pick before the season and went on to be a Pro Bowl alternate, the Cardinals would seem to have a gaping hole in their secondary, with only 2016 third-round pick Brandon Williams and veteran Justin Bethel left to fill it.
That may seem like a recipe for stress, but Cardinals coach Bruce Arians isn’t feeling it.
“I don’t care who you put on the other side of Patrick, he’s getting picked on,” he said Wednesday at the NFC Coaches Breakfast at the Arizona Biltmore.
Arians pointed to Antonio Cromartie, who played the role in 2014, noting he went to the Pro Bowl that season, and then Cooper, who people weren’t high on last year but still had a team-best four interceptions and 11 passes defensed to go along with 65 total tackles. It was all enough for the 27-year-old to earn a three-year, $16 million contract, with $8 million guaranteed.
“I think Brandon is going to be fine,” Arians said, pointing to communication problems early in the season that should be remedied with added leadership in the secondary.
Williams was a starter the first two games of the season, but struggled while still learning the position. He finished with 23 total tackles and four passes defensed, but said toward the end of the season he felt more confident in his ability to play the position.
As for Bethel, who struggled through a foot injury and did not make much of an impact until late in the season, Arians is optimistic.
“I think Justin Bethel’s going to play a hell of a lot better if he can finally practice,” Arians added. “He hasn’t practiced for two years on that broken foot, so he can now have a chance to really compete as a corner and get better, rather than just throwing him out there when we had to have him.”
Arians said that was not fair to Bethel, who will really take off this spring. The coach also noted how “this draft is loaded with corners,” and it was reported last week that the team had a private workout with Florida’s Teez Tabor.
So, help could come from there, too.
If it doesn’t, then it will likely fall on Williams or Bethel to step up and claim the job, thereby giving the Cardinals some stability at an important position.
The coach has always spoke highly of Williams, who was a star in training camp last season, but his high expectations for Bethel may come as a bit of a shock. After all, back in December Arians referred to Bethel’s transition to cornerback as “a failure in progress.”
On Wednesday, Arians made sure to point out that, back then, he even noted that the player’s injuries were the biggest thing holding him back.
“It’s funny, because his father came to practice that Saturday and grabbed me and said, ‘Are you trying to motivate my son?'” Arians said. “I said ‘yeah,’ and he’s like, ‘I think it’s working.'”
