TEMPE — It took an extra second to find Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson during Monday’s organized team activities.
Sporting a new number for the first time on the Tempe practice fields, it was a different NFL look for the second-year cornerback.
But rocking the No. 2 jersey is far from the only difference for Johnson as he ramps up for Year 2.
“Last year (I was) coming in with all the draft stuff and combine and I was injured coming in,” Johnson said Monday. “That versus having some experience and feeling comfortable in the defense is a whole different feeling and it feels really good this year.”
In what he graded as a B-/C+ rookie season, it didn’t take long for Johnson to find himself running with the starting unit in 2025 due to his play and injuries in the secondary.
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Starting 10 of 12 games played last year, Johnson finished second on the team in passes defensed with 10 and was a penalty away from an interception in Week 1.
Getting a full offseason to build upon his Year 1 is huge. Same with seeing defensive coordinator Nick Rallis stick around, who makes up one of the holdovers from the previous staff joining head coach Mike LaFleur.
The continuity doesn’t end with Rallis, either, with the bulk of the defense remaining largely intact outside of Calais Campbell, Jalen Thompson and Dalvin Tomlinson.
“I think it helps us. We all have played in the defense, so we’re still steadily growing together in the defense. I think we’re all building chemistry and we feel it on the field,” Johnson said.
“We obviously got a lot of work to continue to get better, but we feel that chemistry. We love the defense, so we just got to keep getting better every day.”
Johnson had his growing pains as a rookie but now enters Year 2 armed with experience and a better understanding of how the NFL operates.
Cardinals CB Will Johnson back to rocking No. 2. pic.twitter.com/PijEWvBam0
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) May 18, 2026
Pair those two things with his abilities, and Johnson could be on his way to improving that letter grade to an A while cementing himself as someone opposing offenses must account for at all times.
“I was really impressed with Will as a rookie. Obviously, I didn’t study him coming out. I did hear of him just being, you know, in that kind of first-round, second-round discussion just through throughout the Rams building and there was love for him there,” LaFleur said.
“But then having to play him … he is a good player. Sometimes I look at some of those corners and it doesn’t matter really how I feel. I want to know how (Rams QB Matthew Stafford) feels and I know how Stafford felt about him in terms of just a good young player. You can tell that he just understands ball. Like he understands the game.”
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