GLENDALE — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. appeared to have set the tone early on during the first day of padded training camp practices on Monday.
Lining up against rookie cornerback Denzel Burke for the first 1-on-1 rep of the afternoon, Harrison fought through coverage before making a one-handed snag look easy for the win.
That’s one hell of a way to start 1-on-1 work. ?
Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. with the one-handed snag against CB Denzel Burke. pic.twitter.com/TPSFPSGFZC
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 28, 2025
If you were in attendance and didn’t have a reaction to the catch in real time, there might be something wrong with you.
But for as impressive as the rep was, that marked the biggest highlight of the afternoon for the offense.
Because outside of that and a few other chunk catches, it was all about Arizona’s defense.
Just like Harrison bringing the juice right out the gates, MIKE backer Mack Wilson Sr. said “hold my drink” with Arizona’s first interception of camp during early 11-on-11 work.
His punt of the football out of the field of play said all you needed to know about the intensity he and the rest of the unit were bringing during Day 5 of training camp.
Kyler Murray throws the first pick of #AZCardinals camp from any QB. Mack Wilson on the end of it. pic.twitter.com/2C87eSzTpW
— Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin) July 28, 2025
“We haven’t had a bad day until today. … Obviously, a lot of additions to our defense, which is very nice,” quarterback Kyler Murray said Monday. “Trenches got an upgrade. We’ve been feeling that for sure. Pads came on today and we definitely felt the D-line. I think that’ll be good for us during the season.
“Today felt like one of those days where just nothing could go right and even when it went right, it just felt bad. But that’s part of the game. That’s part of practice. We’re making them better, they’re making us better. At the end of the day, when September comes, we both got to be rolling, we both got to be clicking.”
Wilson may have set the tone defensively, but it was the defensive line’s work in the trenches on Monday that disrupted the offense.
Among the biggest standouts were Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, two veterans poised to start in 2025.
Darius Robinson continues to make the most of first-team reps, too, a great sign for a unit that is down first-round pick Walter Nolen III.
What stood out about the Cardinals defense’s productive Monday in pads?
“The competition,” says CB Garrett Williams. pic.twitter.com/74ZILB0Z7k
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 29, 2025
“Competition. I think really just the competition,” cornerback Garrett Williams said when asked what stood out the most about the defense’s productive afternoon.
“Just seeing that guys are ready to play ball. Preseason, it’s coming up, you know what I’m saying? So, it’s good to get in the pads and just keep getting to it.”
Speaking of Williams, the cornerback continues to get run on the outside with the first-team base defense. Max Melton was the first one in on the other side, rotating in with rookie Will Johnson.
Williams already has a defined role as Arizona’s nickel cornerback, but with season-ending injuries to both Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas V, his versatility will be counted on even more on the outside
“I think I was going to be playing (outside) corner a little bit regardless of (the injuries). But obviously when somebody goes down you never know how it gets shuffled around,” Williams said. “I’m just looking forward to just getting more reps there and at nickel and just playing ball.
“I (played on the outside) all of college. Really, it was nickel and safety that was hard to learn coming here because I never played it,” he added. “It’s kinda like riding a bike. You just got to keep getting more reps, keep getting comfortable, but I feel good about it.”
The first of many Cardinals battles for Marvin Harrison Jr., Will Johnson
Harrison and Johnson, two names high up Cardinals fans’ expectations list for 2025, haven’t had much work against each other through the first few days of camp.
That changed on Monday, though, with the duo lining up against each other a handful of times.
(Inserts iron-sharpens-iron phrase here.)
Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Will Johnson during Day 5 of Cardinals training camp.
This is gonna be a fun battle to watch moving forward. pic.twitter.com/7ze2pM50I1
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 28, 2025
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For the most part, it was very much a back-and-forth battle between the two. Harrison did, however, freeze Johnson on the line of scrimmage during red zone work before finding the end zone.
Quick hits
– It was an especially tough afternoon for rookie offensive lineman Hayden Conner.
Getting more work with the second-team offense, Conner had a trio of bad snaps.
While Jon Gaines II and Evan Brown figure to be the most likely backup center options, head coach Jonathan Gannon wanted to work Conner in across the entirety of the interior offensive line.
“We wanted to get him comfortable playing there, but then you’ll see him kicking out to guard, too,” Gannon said Sunday.
– It was announced Monday that former offensive lineman A.Q. Shipley is replacing Ron Wolfley as the Cardinals’ radio color analyst alongside Dave Pasch.
“He’s going to do a great job,” owner Michael Bidwill told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Monday. “He knows the game so well. A.Q. is so smart and I think he’s going to do a great job translating the game and filling the big cleats of Ron Wolfley.”
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