TEMPE, Ariz. -- And then there were two.
The field competing for the Arizona Cardinals' second cornerback job was narrowed by one Monday morning, when it was determined that Mike Jenkins suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s preseason game and will miss the rest of the season.
With Jenkins, who was in the mix for the starting job, coach Bruce Arians said last week, out, the race for the starting corner job opposite Patrick Peterson is essentially down to rookie Brandon Williams and cornerback newcomer Justin Bethel.
“It’s pretty much those guys and I’m very comfortable with both of them,” Arians said.
In some ways, Arians has to be.
Unless the Cardinals sign a veteran corner who can slide in the starting lineup Week 1, he will have to rely on either Williams or Bethel. With 13 days left until the season opener, Williams appears to be the favorite, having started all three preseason games and steadily improving throughout his first training camp. Bethel struggled in his first preseason game Sunday after missing all of OTAs, minicamp and the first three weeks of training camp.
“Bethel was obviously very rusty,” Arians said.
Arizona’s current roster leaves Arians with few options outside of Williams and Bethel.
There’s Cariel Brooks, the second-year corner who Arizona signed as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He’s stood out against second- and third-team offenses while also contributing on special teams.
“He’s been pretty solid the whole camp,” Arians said.
Another option would’ve been veteran Alan Ball, but a quad injury has kept him out of practice for the last two weeks. Arians said he won’t be returning anytime soon.
With Arizona’s roster down to 77 players as of Monday afternoon -- two short of the league-mandated maximum that has to be reached by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday -- and the fourth and final preseason game scheduled for Thursday night against Denver, the Cardinals will try to pack in as many reps for both Williams and Bethel as possible before the regular season. That means Bethel will be bouncing between an outdoor practice field, going through passing skeleton drills at full speed and the bubble Tuesday.
Both corners will play against Denver, Arians said.
There is, however, another option for Arizona -- an unlikely one, but an option nonetheless.
Safety Tyrann Mathieu can play both corner positions -- slot and outside -- although he lined up outside on just 45 snaps last season and 96 in three seasons with the Cardinals, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He likely won’t play Thursday night since Arians said he doesn’t need to see Mathieu play in a preseason game but wants to get “a solid eight to nine days of practice” from the Honey Badger to be convinced he’s healthy enough to play.
Last season, Mathieu was the highest-rated cornerback in the league by Pro Football Focus for his performance in the slot. But the dynamics of playing outside are quite different, yet Arians entertained the idea Monday.
“If he were healthy and full speed, yes,” Arians said. “But probably not for a while.”
