Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V injured his left ACL toward the end of Friday’s practice, a source informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday.
Thomas fell during an 11-on-11 drill and needed to be taken off the field in a cart. Tests done on Sunday confirmed that he tore his ACL.
With Thomas hurt, the Cardinals lose some experience in their group of young cornerbacks. Last season, he started 15 out of 17 games, giving up 32 catches for 434 yards and three touchdowns, based on NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Cardinals are prepared to cope with Thomas’ absence thanks to the added depth at the position this offseason. Arizona has Garrett Williams, who played as the nickel last season and started 11 games, along with Max Melton, who improved during the second half of last year and started three games.
Supporting them are two rookies: second-round pick Will Johnson, who practiced with the first team during the first week of training camp, and fifth-round pick Denzel Burke. They also have returning players Kei’Trel Clark and Elijah Jones.
On Friday, general manager Monti Ossenfort mentioned that Johnson has been performing well early in camp.
“He’s had a good couple of days here,” Ossenfort said. “He’s put together a few strong days, which is great to see.”
