Garrett Williams understood the concern fans had when he grabbed his left knee following a collision with Budda Baker.
As the cornerback tossed and turned on top of the "N" in the Cardinals-painted end zone during the home opener, it was hard not to have flashbacks to Williams' previous knee injury.
Nearly two months later, Williams stood in front of his locker after Thursday's practice and found humor within his pain.
"I mean, I got hit on my leg and it hurt," Williams said with a laugh. "It hurts, so I had to do what I had to do to make sure I was straight. That's the biggest thing."
As he was being helped off the field, Williams himself was uncertain. He admitted that it looked like one of those injuries where "nobody knows." After missing five games thus far on IR, Williams is in the middle of his 21-day practice window to return to the roster.
"It's definitely exciting because you want to be out there as much as possible to help, because I do feel like I help the team win," Williams said. "I feel like I contribute plays that help us win, so to be out there as much as possible that's the biggest goal. I'm happy to be back in any role."
With the extra practice on Tuesday, Williams could make his return against the Cowboys on "Monday Night Football." While the secondary hasn't particularly struggled in Williams' absence, there is no denying that the unit is better with the third-year corner. He entered the season as Pro Football Focus' top-ranked cornerback in zone coverage.
Williams isn't the only player who can return this weekend. Walter Nolen III, who missed all of training camp after suffering a calf injury, had his practice window opened prior to the bye. During the open portions of practice, the defensive lineman has looked spry. Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said Nolen "does not look like he's tired or out of shape."
"I feel like I can contribute a lot, but that's just the way I carry myself," Nolen said. "I feel like I can do whatever in the world. Whenever I get a chance to go back out there, I feel like I'm going to help the team a lot."
The Cardinals have to activate Nolen to the 53-man roster by Nov. 5. Nolen was a first-team All-American at Ole Miss and finished the 2024 season with 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 14 tackles for loss.
"I'm ready whenever they are," Nolen said. "I'm just going to continue to support my team in whichever way I can."
Both players have had to watch the Cardinals navigate the five-game losing streak. Nolen added "I love football, so it'd be kind of hard to sit there and watch a little bit." Learning the NFL from the sidelines, he said games "come down to whoever wants it the most."
For Williams, he has seen the ways he can elevate the Cardinals defense. The two games they have won, Williams was on the field. Now that the bye week has concluded, the team is hopeful their losing streak will as well.
"I trust myself and I've had enough evidence of myself from high school, all the way through college, to now that I make plays that will help," Williams said. "We're climbing. All of the games we are really close to being able to get over that hump. If I can show up how I know I can, maybe I can be that difference to get us over that hump to get those wins."
