If you meet someone optimistic on the Arizona Cardinals' 2026 season, they might be the first one.Buried in the NFL's toughest division in the NFC West with a rookie head coach, no viable starting quarterback and one of the league's most brutal schedules are just a few headlines surrounding the Cardinals as training camp crawls closer. Numerous sportsbooks have the Cardinals with the lowest win total in the NFL. When opening lines were released following the schedule's debut, Arizona wasn't favored in a single game. Former second-round pick Will Johnson embraces the underdog mentality. "I love it. I wouldn't want it any other way," Johnson said on SiriusXM NFL Radio."That's the best. You get to go against the best every single week and that's how you prove you're the best. So it's a great conference. I think we got a good opportunity in front of us to surprise a lot of people this year. They're continuing to try and stack the teams against us, but we'll be ready when the time comes."Full clip:— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) June 28, 2026Johnson, a second-year corner, impressed through stages of a 2025 rookie season that didn't quite go to plan thanks to a mix of injuries across the board (which also included Johnson) and overall poor play from Arizona's defense down the second half of the season. Other young players within the Cardinals' defense such as Walter Nolen III and Darius Robinson will be asked to step up this year. Johnson isn't the only confident Cardinals defender entering 2026, as starting linebacker and returning team captain Mack Wilson Sr. "They got to deal with us," Wilson said when asked about the Rams' trade for Myles Garrett. "At the end of the day, they got to deal with us."That confidence could be pivotal in actually flipping the script. Arizona sure hopes to reverse trends with Mike LaFleur running the show, as the Cardinals are banking on a collection of strong individual talent mixed with LaFleur's potential as an offensive genius. Even if 2026 doesn't bring success, it just might be the sort of "eat your vegetables" season the Cardinals need to lay a solid foundation for the future. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow