Garrett Williams is closer to making his return to a game.

The Cardinals opened up the 21-day practice window for the cornerback on Tuesday ahead of a "Monday Night Football" game in Dallas. He suffered a knee injury in the home opener against the Panthers and has missed the last five games.

"He's a good player, so obviously we've missed that," coach Jonathan Gannon said. "But other guys have stepped up and assumed those roles. We'll see how he does this week and see how it fits together and do the best thing for the team."

His practice window is not the only one that will be opened this week. The 21-day practice window for outside linebacker BJ Ojulari will open on Thursday. He has been out since mid-August of 2024 with a knee injury.

"I have a high opinion of him," Gannon said. "I think he can help us."

Given Ojulari's lengthy time on the sideline, he will likely need much of the 21-day window.

Before he left the Week 2 matchup, Williams was playing every defensive snap, lining up as an outside corner on base packages and sliding in the slot when the Cardinals were in nickel defense. Safety Jalen Thompson and Rabbit Taylor-Demerson filled in for Williams when the Cardinals were in nickel, while Will Johnson earned more playing time on the outside.

Williams' return marks good news for a unit that hasn't had much of it regarding injuries. The team lost Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas V before the season began and saw Johnson miss two division games with a groin injury.

With Williams' window opening, he joins defensive lineman Walter Nolen III, who had his practice window opened on Oct. 15. He's been gearing up for his NFL debut, although it's unclear if Dallas will be the venue for his first game.

"He's doing well," Gannon said of the first-round pick. "Taking it day by day. It's Tuesday. We are a long way away before we got to make those decisions."

In anticipation of their activation to the 53-man roster, the Cardinals opened up two roster spots as they released running back Michael Carter and cornerback Darren Hall on Monday. the Cardinals re-signed both to the practice squad. Carter was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad prior to the Week 5 matchup against the Titans. Running back D'Ernest Johnson, tight end Nick Muse, and wide receiver Bryson Green were released from the practice squad.

The Cardinals enter Monday's game on a five-game losing streak. The losses coming by a combined 13 total points.

"It sucks, but we're a team that goes and analyzes everything, sees where we messed up throughout the game or multiple games, and come back and make adjustments off of that," outside linebacker Zaven Collins said. "It's not like there's a huge overhaul of things that we need to change, just a minor tweak here and there."

If Williams and Nolen are activated for Monday's game, the defense will receive a boost that can help them as they prepare for a Cowboys offense that ranks first in passing yards per game and second in total yards per game.

"We've got to start digging out of our hole that we've dug for ourselves," Gannon said. "We've got to play well. It's a good football team and we're going on the road. We've got to control today, but we've got to play well."