Cardinals Roster Tiers, Part 5: Players Who Can Define Arizona's Season

We ranked every Arizona Cardinals player on the roster. Here's who can swing their season.

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) on the field during warm ups prior to a game against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Welcome to the next installment of our series that tiers every single player on the Arizona Cardinals' roster ahead of training camp.

Before we move forward, if you've missed any of our previous roster tiers, you can catch them below:

• Tier 4: Steady Starters
• Tier 5: Players in Limbo
• Tier 6: Cardinals Who Need to Take The Next Step
• Tier 7: Roster Hopefuls

Today we march into the third tier: Season-swingers.

Only two players occupy this tier, marking the smallest out of the seven total groupings. And as a reminder, the players are not ranked within the tiers themselves.

Cardinals Roster Tiers, Part 5: Season-Swingers

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson (0) against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Players in this tier: Marvin Harrison Jr., Will Johnson

Harrison and Johnson were both high picks, Harrison being a fourth overall selection while Johnson was considered a first-round talent before he slid into the second. Both play on the boundary on their respective sides of the ball while hailing from Big Ten programs in Ohio State and Michigan.

Talent-wise, both were considered the best prospect at their position before being selected.

Harrison and Johnson have the ceiling to completely swing the Cardinals' season.

Harrison enters a pivotal third year that will tell us everything we need to know about the wideout after a very volatile two seasons in the desert. A mix of poor play, injuries and debatable usage/schematics leads us to a 2026 season that some would label make-it-or-break-it.

The potential is undeniable with Harrison. Hailing from a Hall of Fame bloodline, Harrison's work ethic, build and ability to do nearly everything at a high level made him a prospect some considered generational.

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) on the field during warm ups prior to a game against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yet the overall play hasn't been up to par. There's hope new head coach and offensive mind Mike LaFleur will be able to unlock Harrison, who has had massive success scheming receivers open in previous stops — which sets this season up as Harrison's biggest.

If Harrison can fulfill the hope that came with him from the college level, Arizona's passing attack and overall offensive ability reaches an entirely new dynamic with an improved rushing attack, Trey McBride already established and Michael Wilson hoping to build off his 1,000-yard season.

On the other side of the ball, Johnson was widely thought to be a top 15 talent before long-term injury concerns saw one of the draft's most puzzling slides before Arizona scooped him at No. 47. The length, ball skills and production at a premier program made him an attractive prospect.

Johnson's only had one season under his belt — a rookie campaign that was by no means poor but also did show room for growth at one of football's toughest positions. Johnson showed a willingness to get his hands dirty in the run game while also netting a few impressive pass break-ups as well. Some rookie struggles followed, though those are expected.

Johnson evolving into a solidified CB1 in the desert does answer a few questions for Arizona's defense, one that doesn't have an eye-opening pass rush and again looks to heavily rely on their coverage abilities.

The real hope is Johnson takes that coveted year-two leap, giving Arizona a premier lockdown corner that hasn't been seen since Patrick Peterson. Obviously that's a lofty goal and that shouldn't be the expectation... though Johnson is good enough to fill those shoes.