In-game injuries are an unfortunate part of the NFL, but they're even more devastating when suffered outside of game play and still affect a player's season.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback and Super Bowl champion Sean Murphy-Bunting had his 2025 season end before it ever began when he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list by his current team, the Arizona Cardinals, on Thursday.
The injury and the circumstances surrounding it have not been disclosed.
Murphy-Bunting is heading into the second year of a three-year, $25 million deal out in the desert. In 2024, the 27-year-old posted 52 tackles with three for loss, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and five passes defended in 15 starts while being targeted by opposing quarterbacks on 70.8 percent of their passes. Those opposing QBs had a 74.8 passer rating against him.
ESPN's Josh Weinfuss reported on X that the Cardinals knew about the injury before the draft.
"Some context to the Cardinals putting Sean Murphy-Bunting on the NFI list, which will cause him to miss the 2025 season: Arizona knew about Murphy-Bunting’s injury before the draft and it influenced the Cardinals’ approach, a source told ESPN.
"They ended up drafting two corners - Will Johnson out of Michigan and Denzel Burke out of Ohio State - last month. SMB’s absence will force Arizona to bring along some younger CBs faster than the Cardinals had intended."
Murphy-Bunting was originally a second-round pick of the Bucs in the 2019 NFL Draft, going 39th overall. While with Tampa Bay, he amassed 188 total tackles with 139 solo and six for loss, six interceptions with one pick-6, 21 passes defended, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery across 53 games and 36 starts.