Cardinals' David Johnson suffers dislocated wrist, surgery and IR on the table
It's not clear how long he'll be out, but he will likely be forced to miss some time
When David Johnson went down with a wrist injury on Sunday, the severity was unclear. A day later, it still remains uncertain just how long Johnson will be out, but all signs indicate that he will miss some time.
On Monday, the Cardinals revealed that Johnson suffered a dislocated wrist, but he's seeking a second opinion.
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
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Johnson is expected to miss an "extended period of time" and could even land on injured reserve. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the timeline for his recovery could be 2-4 weeks or maybe even 3-4 months. A source told ESPN's Josh Weinfuss that the injury is "not good." And the team's official website reports that the second opinion if confirmed will lead to wrist surgery:
If David Johnson second opinion is same as first, he will have surgery and go on IR. Like Logan, could return later this season.
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) September 11, 2017
So, it sounds like the Cardinals and Johnson are still gathering information from doctors and weighing their options. But it also sounds like they can expect to be without their most important player for a while.
If Johnson is forced to miss a large chunk of time, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Cardinals re-sign Chris Johnson, who has a history with the team, having played for them in each of the past two seasons.
CJ2K an option to be re-signed, Arians said.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) September 11, 2017
They could also stick with Kerwynn Williams and Andre Ellington. Or maybe they'll bring in someone from the outside. Regardless, from a Fantasy perspective, it appears to be a nightmare.
Kerwynn Williams is on the Cards now, but Chris Johnson could get re-signed in a snap. They'll use both PLUS Andre Ellington. Messy.
— Dave Richard (@daverichard) September 11, 2017
RBs on practice squads the Cardinals could swipe: Jonathan Williams (DEN), Alex Collins (BAL), Jeremy Langford (BAL), Elijah Hood (OAK)
— Dave Richard (@daverichard) September 11, 2017
It's also a nightmare for the Cardinals. Johnson is irreplaceable. He's arguably the best all-around running back in football -- Le'Veon Bell is the only other running back in the discussion. Last year, Johnson led the league in yards from scrimmage with 2,118. He was such a good receiver that Pro Football Focus named Johnson -- a running back -- the best receiver of the 2016 season. If not for the Cardinals' 7-8-1 record, he would've been a legitimate MVP candidate.
This year, Johnson was aiming even higher. In the offseason, Johnson revealed that he wanted to become the third player in the NFL history to eclipse 1,000 yards as both a receiver and a runner. And Cardinals coach Bruce Arians repeatedly declared that he wanted his running back to average 30 touches per game. That kind of a historic season was only going to be possible if Johnson got good injury luck and stayed healthy. He didn't.
Hopefully, Johnson can still salvage his season by returning sooner rather than later. Before going down with the injury, he racked up 91 yards from scrimmage against the Lions.