Arizona Cardinals get a presence across from Patrick Peterson, but still no long term answer

After getting the news that second year undrafted free agent Ronald Zamort had tore his ACL, it became even more evident that the Arizona Cardinals would be in the market for a veteran cornerback.

They wasted little time, agreeing to a deal with 10 year veteran Tramon Williams, most recently with the Cleveland Browns, but a former Pro Bowler with the Green Bay Packers.

What did the Cardinals get in Williams?

From Ian Wharton, Bleacher Reports B/R 1000 cornerback evaluator:

I thought he looked cooked last year honestly, but he was also dealing with injuries and horrible safeties. Liked him better as a slot as well.

This isn’t the only negative report on Williams, from Justin Higdon:

I thought he played pretty well in 2015, but he’s old and looked washed last year, ended up losing his starting job.

There are some others who were not as low on Williams.

Pro Football Focus graded Williams out at 67.3 in 2016. This is a below average score on their metrics, but it is 20 points higher than the 45.5 Marcus Cooper scored for them.

The market for Cooper was much higher for a couple of reasons:

1. He is 27.
2. He didn’t miss as much time as Williams in 2016.

That being said, if Williams is better by that margin, the Cardinals could see similar results from their second cornerback as they did in 2016. The biggest concerns are, how much of Williams grading came when he was in the slot or at safety, positions he played in Cleveland last year?

Also, the addition of Williams, if it works, is another finger in the dike.

Finally, if Williams is the second corner, what does this mean for Justin Bethel?

All of these things can be good problems, but the Cardinals need Williams to regain his ‘15 form.