Who’ll be opposite Patrick Peterson?

Williams, Bethel will need to prove they are capable

BOB MCMANAMAN “Opposite Patrick Peterson.” It’s a phrase Cardinals fans have heard for the past two years and until the team actually finds a reliable cornerback it can trust to play – say it together now – opposite Patrick Peterson, it’s going to remain a familiar refrain.

Brandon Williams and Justin Bethel, for starters, would like you to refrain from that refrain. Privately, they will tell you that they are the best man for the job and that between the two of them, one will ultimately win the No. 2 starting cornerback spot by the time the 2017 season begins.

And yet there are no guarantees. Neither one of them could hold it down a year ago. Williams, then a rookie, got the first shot but lost it after just two games to veteran Marcus Cooper. Bethel was still dealing with lingering issues from a foot injury, was called a “failure in progress” by coach Bruce Arians, and at the tail end of the season eventually found a role as a “slot” corner.

Since Cooper left the team upon signing a free-agent contract with the Bears after parlaying his productive efforts across from Peterson, Arians has said “Brandon is ready” and “Justin is going to be much, much better.”

In the same breath, of course, Arians also said “the draft is loaded with corners.”

It was, but the Cardinals didn’t draft one until the sixth round, trading both of their seventh-round selections to the Raiders to move up and select Rudy Ford from Auburn. Ford has intriguing potential, but it’s difficult to imagine him challenging for a starting spot in his first season.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals passed on a slew of capable corners in the first three rounds. A handful of NFL-ready prospects were available early, including Alabama’s Marlon Humphries, who went 16th overall to Baltimore, and USC’s Adoree’ Jackson, who went 18th to Tennessee. They could have had one of these highly ranked corners, too – Florida’s Quincy Wilson (46th to the Colts), his former Gators teammate Teez Tabor (53rd to the Lions) or Connecticut’s Obi Melifonwu (56th to the Raiders).

“I wasn’t sure what they were going to do, but at the end of the day, for me it doesn’t really matter,” Bethel told the team’s website recently. “If they brought in somebody, that’s good because we’ve got another young guy that we can build up over time that’s going to help the team. And if not, I’m still going to do what I’ve got to do on the field and work my ass off to try and get the position I want.”

Williams told azcentral sports that he’s ready for the challenge and that he likes his chances after digesting his first full NFL season. He was a running back until his final year in college at Texas A&M and it’s taken time to learn all the nuances of playing cornerback.

“It’s year two, man,” Williams said. “I’m more confident in what I need to do and I’m not going into a situation blind. I know what to expect out of OTAs. I know what to expect out of training camp. I know what to expect out of myself. That’s basically it.”

It’s now, Williams said, when the Cardinals are about to “get the player they drafted.” Arizona selected him a year ago in the third round, where they routinely have found success under the current regime. They saw enough of the raw, natural talent to believe he could develop into a top-tier corner at some point. Williams dazzled so well in training camp as a rookie, though, that they handed him the keys to the job opposite Peterson.

Like Bethel the season before, however, opposing teams kept picking on that side of the field. Quarterbacks rarely throw in Peterson’s direction and when they do, Peterson usually makes them pay for it.

But with the window of opportunity supposedly closing on this current Cardinals roster, can the organization risk not having a dependable and at least semishutdown second cornerback in place in case Bethel or Williams can’t cut it?

“Brandon Williams feels ready,” Williams said, adding he paid no attention to the draft and he isn’t worried about the competition from Bethel.

“My concern is what I did, how I prepare myself and how I put myself into position to win. All that other stuff, man, it doesn’t concern me.

Of the nine cornerbacks presently on the roster other than Peterson, the one with the most NFL experience is Jumal Rolle, who was signed to a one-year deal as a free agent this offseason. He’s appeared in 19 games – 18 of them with the Texans – and missed all of last season because of an Achilles injury.

So even if the No. 2 corner is here, it doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t be replaced.

Williams, for one, doesn’t think that’s necessary.

“I’m ready to show everyone what I can do,” he said. “I can’t wait.”