Cardinals' Starling Thomas: Placed on injured reserve
Rotowire
The Cardinals placed Thomas (knee) on injured reserve Sunday.
Thomas was coming off a strong season during which he recorded 47 tackles (31 solo) across 17 games played but will now be forced to miss the entirety of the upcoming campaign after tearing his ACL during practice Friday. Max Melton and Will Johnson will now likely serve as the team's starting outside cornerbacks during the 2025 season.
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Cardinals' Starling Thomas: Suffers torn ACL
Rotowire
Thomas tore the ACL in his left knee during practice Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Thomas had to be carted off the field Friday after going down with a left leg injury that has since been diagnosed as a torn ACL. This is brutal news for Thomas, who played in all 17 games for Arizona last season and started 15 of those contests. With the third-year corner now expected to miss the entire 2025 campaign, the Cardinals' secondary depth could be tested. Max Melton and Will Johnson seem like the most likely candidates to start at cornerback this season.
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Cardinals' Starling Thomas: Carted off practice field
Rotowire
Thomas was carted off the field during Friday's practice after injuring his left leg, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Thomas was on the ground for several minutes while being checked on by trainers before being carted to the locker room. He'll undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury, but his initial reaction isn't good news for the third-year corner. Jaylon Jones (shoulder), Max Melton and Elijah Jones (ankle) are among candidates who would battle for reps at outside corner were Thomas to be sidelined for an extended period of time.
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Cardinals' Starling Thomas: Progresses in second NFL season
Rotowire
Thomas finished the 2024 regular season with 47 tackles (31 solo), six pass defenses and one forced fumble across 17 games.
Thomas started in all but two games during the 2024 season and played at least 30 defensive snaps in 16 of 17 contests. The second-year corner out of UAB has yet to record an interception in a regular-season game, but he's made strides in a young Cardinals secondary consisting of Garrett Williams and rookies Max Melton (wrist) and Elijah Jones (ankle). Thomas and Sean Murphy-Bunting should be the top candidates to start at outside corner for the 2025 season, though both of them will get competition from Melton and Jones during training camp.
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Cardinals' Starling Thomas: Solid output in start
Rotowire
Thomas logged five total tackles (all solo) and deflected one pass in Sunday's 35-31 win over the Eagles.
Thomas was tied for Arizona's third-leading tackler Sunday and he's now recorded five-plus tackles in each of his last three outings. The undrafted rookie cornerback out of UAB has seen his role increase over the course of the season, as he made his sixth start of the year and played all 49 of the Cardinals' defensive snaps in Week 17. Thomas has appeared in 11 games this year, tallying 33 total tackles, including one tackle for loss, while also deflecting four passes.
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Cardinals' Starling Thomas: Won't return Sunday
Rotowire
Thomas (ankle) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Rams, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Thomas has seen action in a backup corner role and on special teams. He had three tackles before leaving the game and will be replaced by Marco Wilson in the secondary alongside starters Kei'Trel Clark and Garrett Williams.
