3 Cardinals Who Just Might Lose Starting Job on Defense

The Arizona Cardinals are just days away from 2026's version of training camp, which will see the team take the field at State Farm Stadium with hopes of dwindling its roster from 90 to 53 over the course of the next few weeks.

Head coach Mike LaFleur holds promise to make some changes this season, which does put a few players in jeapardy of losing starting spots. While we already previewed the offensive side of the ball, the defense is featured today:

Darius Robinson

Robinson is the only player on this list not taken on Day 3 of the draft, as the former first-round pick has failed to live up to the hype entering his third season. Robinson has battled injuries and overall lackluster box score production, though Arizona insisted last season he was still making an impact.

That will be tested this season, as the Mizzou product will be demanded to make a third-year jump in 2026. Robinson is quick off the ball and looks like a statue found only in the ruins of Greece, though he's yet to develop an arsenal of pass rush moves in Arizona.

DC Nick Rallis heavily rotates his defensive line, and while there's not a one-for-one sub for Robinson to straight up be benched for, the Cardinals sure have a number of guys who could earn more snaps if Robinson doesn't turn into the player Arizona's front office wanted him to be.

Cody Simon

Simon took over for the injured Mack Wilson Sr. last season and owned green dot duties as a rookie, calling the defense and organizing troops as a first-time NFL player. That experience places him in the driver's seat to now start opposite of Wilson ahead of 2026 after veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither departed this offseason.

However, Simon now finds himself in competition with free agent signing Jack Gibbens, an inside linebacker who specializes in pass coverage and was a piece of New England's run to the Super Bowl just a few months ago.

Gibbens is realistically the only player who will challenge Simon for a spot on Arizona's defense. Simon's leadership and ability to command a defense is real, though if the Cardinals want a more athletic running mate next to Wilson, things could get sticky for Simon.

Denzel Burke

This would be more about the health and talent in Arizona's cornerback room compared to Burke's level of play, which was strong in 2025. The Ohio State rookie fell far in the draft but managed to showcase some of his top potential that once made him a first-round candidate, helping anchor the Cardinals' cornerback room opposite of fellow rookie Will Johnson.

The likes of Sean Murphy-Bunting, Starling Thomas and Garrett Williams all could be healthy at the beginning of the season. What that exactly means for Burke is still to be determined, but it feels as if Burke should have an opportunity to defend his seat entering 2026.

Williams, when healthy, is the team's starting slot man and would be one of the two boundary cornerbacks with Johnson owning the second spot. Thomas was projected to be a starter before his ACL injury last year while Murphy-Bunting now has shifted into a slot cornerback, which may impact Williams and thus Burke's role in the future.

Burke had a strong 2025 season, though the competition returning to his position group is real.

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