When running back David Johnson left the Cardinals’ season opener against the Lions on Sunday afternoon with a wrist injury and did not return, Arizona fans and Johnson’s fantasy owners all feared that their 2017 season might have gone down with him.
Johnson’s x-rays came back negative, but the wrist sprain still could keep him out for an extended period. On Sunday night, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that the MRI results on Monday would determine whether he’d be out for a few weeks or closer to half the season. While the official results have yet to be disclosed and the Cardinals and Johnson seek more opinions on the injury, Ian Rapaport of NFL Network reports that the results weren’t good and he could be a candidate to go on injured reserve.
Sources: #AZCardinals RB David Johnson (wrist) is expected to miss an extended period of time. Getting more opinions, but an IR candidate.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 11, 2017
It’s still possible that he will only miss a few weeks, should the injury not require surgery, and that determination will come over the next few days, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
As @mortreport has said since Sunday, it could be 2-4 weeks for David Johnson, 3-4 months still possible. Depends on doctor recommendations.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 11, 2017
When coach Bruce Arians spoke to the media on Monday afternoon, his initial update wasn’t very encouraging.
This is bad: #AZCardinals coach Bruce Arians tells reporters David Johson’s initial prognosis is the same as TJ Logan… who is out 12 weeks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 11, 2017
If Johnson were to be placed on the IR list, it would mean he would miss at least eight weeks of action before he would be eligible to return to the active roster. The NFL expanded the injured reserve this year to allow teams to recall two players off of injured reserve in a season rather than just one, so the Cardinals would keep one spot open should another key piece go down. While the Cardinals will try to move forward with Kerwynn Williams and potentially a free agent signing (Rapaport mentioned Chris Johnson as a possibility), fantasy owners that took Johnson at the top of their drafts would essentially be out of luck should he be placed on IR and likely will need to start working trades or the waiver wire immediately.
We will update this post when official word of Johnson’s status comes, but for now it sounds as though the star back will miss significant time this season.
