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The Arizona Cardinals used one of their third-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft to select Syracuse cornerback Garrett Williams, who enters as a talented player and an experienced three-year starter in college. However, he’ll begin his rookie season coming off an injury, and we have the latest updates on his status.
Garrett Williams’ injury
Injury suffered: Torn ACL
When it happened: October 2022
Williams suffered the ACL injury in Syracuse’s 41-24 loss to Notre Dame, becoming the fourth starter of the Orange to be lost to injury. He ended his 2022 collegiate season with 36 tackles, two interceptions, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Head coach Dino Babers announced shortly thereafter he would miss the remainder of the season.
Latest training camp updates
Cardinals reporter Bo Brack of PHNX Sports shared a video of the third-round pick Williams on the side during the team’s rookie minicamp. Brack noted that he continues to recover from his ACL surgery, but no exact timetable has been announced yet for his return.
2023 Fantasy football outlook
The Cardinals D/ST finished 27th in fantasy scoring last season with an average of 6.1 fantasy points per game. With Budda Baker still attempting to negotiate a contract extension and with the retirement of J.J. Watt, Arizona’s defense could be without a handful of key contributors for the 2023 campaign. Additionally, the injury to quarterback Kyler Murray could prove to be a detriment to the Cardinals D/ST as they’ll likely be playing from behind early. Even with Williams’ eventual return, chances are that the Arizona defense will be a fantasy option that is at best a plug-in during a bye week for fantasy managers.