Playing on the inside is not foreign to Murphy-Bunting. From 2019-2022 as a member of the Buccaneers, he spent 1,104 snaps as the slot corner. According to TruMedia, when playing nickel, he recorded 87 tackles, seven interceptions, and a forced fumble. When the Bucs won Super Bowl LV, he was the starting slot corner.
Since then, which included one year with the Titans and the 2024 season with the Cardinals, Murphy-Bunting played a combined seven snaps in the slot. In Arizona, Murphy-Bunting played 674 snaps as the outside cornerback.
"We knew he had the ability to do it, we just had to get him back into that mode because for several years in a row he had been at corner only, but he's very natural inside," defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said. "We'll use our nickel unique in terms of pressures or playing in deep zones, so there's a lot of different techniques, and that's part of the reason that our nickels and safeties are together."
During practices, Murphy-Bunting is in position drills with safeties Budda Baker, Andrew Wingard, and Rabbit Taylor-Demerson. It's something Williams will do when he returns.
The outside corner room is capable of taking a step with Will Johnson and Denzel Burke entering their second seasons while Max Melton, Starling Thomas V, and Kei'Trel Clark competing as well. Because of that depth, there's additional trust from the staff to play Murphy-Bunting inside.
It also allows the 28-year-old veteran to refine and focus on the techniques he has strayed away from in recent years. Even with the injury, Murphy-Bunting said there isn't rust.
It's just a matter of managing the excitement as he returns to a game he once had to watch from the sidelines.
"It's been a long time coming," Murphy-Bunting said. "It's very exciting and it's very humbling to be back and being able to be back in the groove of it."