GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp in less than 24 hours and 12Sports is here once again to get you ready with a look at who you will see on the field at training camp.
Already, we have looked at the offensive line, defensive line, running backs, and the wide receivers and tight ends.
Tonight, we’re giving you a look at the Cardinals' secondary with a look at the cornerbacks and safeties.
CORNERBACKS:
- Byron Murphy Jr.: The 2019 2nd Round pick out of Washington and former Arizona Cardinals High School Player of the Year is heading into his 4th season with the Cardinals. Murphy will likely become the top corner for Arizona with the departure of Robert Alford. Murphy played in 17 of the Cardinals’ 18 games last year (including the playoff game against the Rams). He totaled 69 tackles (53 solo), knocked down 8 passes, had 4 interceptions (1 pick 6), 1 forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
- Marco Wilson: The 2nd year product out of Florida appears to be Arizona’s #2 corner heading into training camp. As a rookie, Wilson played in 15 games, had 49 tackles (40 solo), knocked down 4 passes, and forced two fumbles.
- Jace Whittaker: The former Arizona Wildcat is going into his 3rd professional season, all of which have been with the Cardinals. He’s bounced between the active roster and practice squad since signing as an undrafted free agent in April 2020. Whittaker has appeared in 6 games for Arizona and made 7 tackles (6 solo).
- Antonio Hamilton: The elder statesman in the cornerback room is Hamilton, who is heading into his 7th season in the NFL. He originally signed with the then Oakland Raiders in 2016 as an undrafted free agent and has also played for the New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing with Arizona in September 2021. Hamilton played in all but two games for the Cardinals last year, including the Wild Card playoff game. He totaled 39 tackles (30 solo) and knocked down 4 passes.
- Darrell Baker Jr.: Baker Jr. joins the Cardinals secondary as an undrafted free agent. He played his college football at Georgia Southern where he played in 53 games and made 111 tackles (80 solo), 3 interceptions, knocked down 17 passes, and forced 2 fumbles. He was named 3rd-team All-Sun Belt Conference as a junior in 2020.
- Breon Borders: Borders is heading into his 2nd season with the Cardinals and 6th in the NFL. He has bounced around the league a bit over his career. He originally signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and has spent time with the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Tennessee Titans bouncing between practice squads and active rosters. His best season came for Tennessee in 2020 when he started 5 of the 6 games he played in and made 27 tackles (21 solo), knocked down 5 passes, and made 1 interception. Borders played in 11 games for Tennessee last season before the Cardinals signed him off the Titans’ practice squad.
- Nate Brooks: Brooks is heading into his 4th season in the NFL. He originally signed with Arizona as an undrafted free agent in 2019 but has spent time on practice squads for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Tennessee Titans. Brooks has played in 4 games in his career but has not appeared in a regular season game since 2020.
- Josh Jackson: The former Iowa Hawkeye is heading into his 5th NFL season and 1st with the Cardinals. He was drafted by Green Bay in 2018 and played for the Packers for 3 years before being traded to the Giants in 2021. Jackson was released and signed with Kansas City in the middle of last year. He signed with the Cardinals in June. In his career, Jackson has played in 44 games (15 starts), made 90 tackles (67 solo), and knocked down 12 passes.
- Christian Matthew: Rounding out the Cardinals’ cornerbacks heading into camp is Matthew, a rookie out of Division II Valdosta State in south Georgia. Matthew was originally a 3-star recruit coming out of high school and played for Georgia Southern before transferring to Samford and then Valdosta State. With the Blazers, Matthew made 37 tackles, knocked down 15 passes, made an interception, and blocked a kick.
SAFETIES:
- Budda Baker: The Cardinals’ top safety and one of the top players at his position in the NFL is Baker, who is heading into his 6th season in the NFL (all with the Cardinals). Baker has made the Pro Bowl 4 times in his first 5 seasons in the NFL and is just the 4th Cardinal to ever do that. In 2021, Baker was named 2nd-team All-Pro and was named to the All-NFC team by the Pro Football Writers of America. Baker played in all 18 games for Arizona last year and made 102 tackles (61 solo), 2 sacks, knocked down 4 passes, grabbed 3 interceptions, and recovered a fumble. Baker has been voted as a team captain for the past 2 seasons.
- Jalen Thompson: The 4th-year pro out of Washington State is the Cardinals’ 2nd-best option at the safety position. Originally taken by Arizona in the 2019 Supplemental Draft, Thompson has played in 37 games (25 starts), made 197 tackles (129 solo), 4 interceptions, 3 tackles for loss, and recovered a fumble. In 2021, Thompson made 121 tackles, which was the 2nd-highest among NFL defensive backs behind Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick who made 124.
- Tae Daley: Daley was signed by the Cardinals after rookie minicamp in May. In college, Daley played for 3 years at Vanderbilt before transferring to Virginia Tech. For the Hokies, Daley played in all 13 games (10 starts), made 73 tackles (47 solo), knocked down a pass, and forced a fumble.
- Deionte Thompson: Thompson is about to start his 4th season in the NFL, all of which have been with the Cardinals. Thompson played in every game for the Cardinals last season, making 11 tackles (6 solo). He has played in 41 games over his first three seasons.
- Charles Washington: Washington is heading into his 7th NFL season and 4th with Arizona. He signed as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State with the Detroit Lions in 2016 and stayed with Lions until right before the 2019 season when he was released and signed by the Cardinals. In Arizona, Washington has played in 34 games, made 22 tackles (15 solo), knocked down a pass, and forced a fumble.
- James Wiggins: Wiggins is going into his 2nd season in the NFL after being taken in the 7th round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Cardinals out of Cincinnati. He did not make the active roster after training camp but was signed to Arizona’s practice squad. He got called up to the active roster for 3 games last year before getting hurt and spending most of the remainder of the season on IR.
The Cardinals will open their 2022 Training Camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 26th. There will be 10 practices open to the public. The 1st of which will be on July 30. Parking and admission are free, but digital tickets will be required.