Arizona Cardinals designate rookie CB Garrett Williams for return off NFI

The Arizona Cardinals designated 2023 third-round draft pick and cornerback Garrett Williams for return from the non-football injury list on Wednesday.

Additionally, Arizona designated offensive lineman Dennis Daley to return from injured reserve.

With the designations, Williams and Daley can begin practicing and have a three-week window to be activated to the 53-man roster.

The move to designate Williams comes after the team released a pair of cornerbacks in Christian Matthew and Kris Boyd on Monday, two depth pieces that were used primarily as special teamers through the first four games of 2023.

If fellow rookie and starter Kei’Trel Clark’s usage is any indication, Williams could be in line for a hefty workload.

Throughout the offseason and into the regular season, head coach Jonathan Gannon and others have continued to praise Williams’ work ethic and overall drive.

And given his body of work before joining the Cardinals’ ranks, there’s a good chance Williams makes his presence felt.

Appearing in 32 games (28 starts) for Syracuse from 2019-22, Williams racked up 152 tackles, 9.5 of which were for losses, two sacks, four interceptions, 27 passes defensed, a forced fumble and recovery. He picked up three All-ACC selections and a freshman All-American nod along the way.

Even in a shortened 2022 season due to the torn ACL, Williams still earned honorable mention All-ACC honors after recording two interceptions and three passes defensed across seven starts.

“I like making those plays that bring the crowd to their feet, feeling that shift in energy and momentum for your team,” Williams told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke in June.

“I realized I can make those types of plays not by just picking the ball up but by having big hits and making those types of plays in the run game, too.”

The Cardinals currently have Clark, Antonio Hamilton Sr., Marco Wilson and Starling Thomas V on the 53-man roster.

Arizona also has Bobby Price and Divaad Wilson that could be elevated off the practice squad if needed.

Daley’s designation comes after the team released guard Ilm Manning on Monday.

The veteran lineman was placed on IR on Aug. 31 with an ankle injury after seeing a lot of work with the second team in addition to some run with the 1s during training camp.

Daley will slide in behind Elijah Wilkinson at left guard.

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