That’s a huge blow to Arizona Cardinals’ defense. Cornerback Starling Thomas V also tore his left ACL in practice on Friday. That injury, suffered in the final moments of an 11-on-11 practice session, has been confirmed through an MRI taken Sunday. Because of the severity of his injury, Thomas will miss the entire season. This has created quite the experience gap among the team’s young cornerbacks.
On Friday’s practice, Thomas went down and required assistance getting off the field. His fellow players and coaches were instantly worried. His absence will be sorely felt. Last year, he proved he could be that guy by starting 15 of 17 games. At the same time, he only surrendered 32 catches for 434 yards and three scores. His performance was a reminder of just how vital he is to the Cardinals’ secondary.
Feel awful and bad for those guys. Obviously, talked to both of them. These dudes are in some of the most challenging and under-appreciated jobs around, working their asses off. It’s a disappointing turn of events, but they’ll work first and foremost to recover from it. Both of them will be back at some point, and we’ll continue to roll onwards and upwards. said Head Coach Jonathan Gannon, speaking to the severity of the impact of the injury.
Thomas’s loss to injury is a serious blow to the Big Blue’s defensive unit. The ball is now in the court of other players to step up. Gannon remarked on the business implications of the injury, stating, “So, obviously the business side of it opens up a spot because Star was going to be on this team. He’s played a lot of good football for us, so we’re just going to have to develop our guys. Guys are going to have to step up.”
As the Cardinals prepare for the upcoming season, they will need to rely on their younger cornerbacks to fill the void left by Thomas. First, the strength of the team’s coaching staff — particularly at Offensive Coordinator. They need to find ways to rapidly develop young talent without losing their ability to field a competitive defense.
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