When the Cardinals lost their preseason matchup to the Broncos, 27-7, Will Johnson was one of the few projected starters to get on the field. The rookie cornerback had already logged reps in the joint practice against Denver. But when it came to actual preseason action, his snaps were limited at first. He played just 20 against the Chiefs and only 8 against the Broncos. Then came the preseason finale against the Raiders, where he was yet again the only projected starter to take the field. His stat line in the game? Just one tackle. While it was nothing flashy, the rookie cornerback did face the Raiders’ first-team offense. And sometimes, that’s the real win. 

Will Johnson got extra live reps and, importantly, avoided injury in the preseason. And then his team also closed the preseason with a 20-10 win against the Raiders. Still, HC Jonathan Gannon admitted something rare for coaches: a mistake. And it involved rookies like Johnson. While addressing the reporters, Gannon said, “Looked at how many game reps you could get for honestly all of our rookies. Kind of a change that I felt like we needed to make going into this year. That was one of the things in camp, talking with the coordinators and Monti (general manager). Get these rookies a little more reps. I’m looking in the past now, so I’m going to get depressed, but probably a mistake by me, truthfully, the first two years. So we wanted to correct that,” Ganon said. 

In his past two seasons as head coach, Jonathan Gannon was criticized for not giving rookies enough reps, but this year, he wasted no time flipping the script. At minicamp, he hit them with a reality check, stressing. Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith put it that defensive backs must realize “NFL wide receivers and NFL quarterbacks have the kind of talent they didn’t see every Saturday in college, and that means they have to be perfect on every play.” Arizona’s draft class of Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, and Kitan Crawford may have shone in college. But pedigree alone won’t keep them on the field.

Their proving ground now comes against Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Zay Jones, and Trey McBride. For undrafted players, the message was harsher: this camp is their only chance to stick. Gannon’s urgency feels intentional. After all, last preseason, Arizona barely played its starters, even holding Harrison Jr. to just three snaps, which left him admitting later that the game speed had caught him off guard. This time, Gannon isn’t letting rookies walk into Sundays unprepared.

Real growth comes from real snaps. And with Arizona’s cornerback room looking young, those live reps are gold. The trio of Garrett Williams, Max Melton, and Will Johnson now forms the projected rotation. Combined, they have just 20 NFL starts, with Williams accounting for 17. That’s inexperience, no doubt. But Jonathan Gannon views it as an opportunity. With so few habits formed, his staff can mold these corners exactly how they want. Isn’t that better than unlearning bad habits later?

Cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith has the same approach. And Jonathan Gannon praised him, saying Smith is “grooming them young guys how we want them to be groomed.” It’s about teaching the scheme, correcting technique, and building confidence. Garrett Williams sees the upside, too. “Nobody’s beefing with each other,” he said, because everyone’s learning together. That creates a culture of growth. Max Melton also echoed the same. He actually confessed that he welcomes the doubts about their inexperience. “It feels like all the odds are stacked against us,” Melton said. “But that’s just a challenge to us.” You can feel the chip on his shoulder. If they play well early, respect will come fast. But then why did only one of these young cornerbacks get so many reps? That’s something to think about.

Why did Jonathan Ganon give Will Johnson more reps in the preseason?

Arizona drafted Will Johnson in the second round out of Michigan and then signed him to a roughly $2.35 million deal. But then, as the rookie cornerback walked into camp, he immediately ran with the first team. That speaks volumes, doesn’t it? Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis praised the rookie’s intelligence and natural feel for the position. “The more reps he gets, the more comfortable he’ll get,” Rallis said. And comfort leads to confidence.

Will Johnson’s strength, at least so far, has been his ability to stick with receivers. But he’s still learning. While playing against the Chiefs in the preseason, he drew a defensive pass interference flag on the second play. That was a tough spot, right near the goal line. As such, Jonathan Gannon later critiqued his stance and vision on that play, “I thought he was a little bit too far back on his heels on one press rep… I thought his eyes were messed up on one zone rep… Other than that, pretty good,” Jonathan Gannon said. But the head coach then also used the clip in a team meeting. Why? To show how a young cornerback should respond after a mistake. That’s teaching in real time. 

Even Ryan Smith likes that trial-by-fire approach. But he also values pulling Will Johnson aside, letting him watch, and coaching him up from the sideline. Both perspectives matter. So, for some rookies like Johnson, seeing those snaps and learning from mistakes accelerates development. Moreover, Jonathan Gannon might have given him more reps in the preseason to lessen the pains in the regular season. As such, the Cardinals now just need to see if trial by fire turns the rookie into the corner they drafted him to be.