Early tests show that Cardinals running back David Johnson suffered meniscus damage during today’s game against the Rams, but did not tear his ACL, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson will undergo an MRI on Monday in order to further ascertain the exact nature of the injury.
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Clearly, without more specific information about Johnson’s injury, it’s difficult to predict how the ailment might affect his offseason. Avoiding an ACL tear is extremely positive news, but meniscus damage can also limit a player for years. Johnson, 25, has been a revelation during his second season in the NFL, managing more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage while posting 20 total touchdowns. On an Arizona offense that ranks only 22nd in DVOA, Johnson was the weekly focal point as quarterback Carson Palmer and the rest of the passing game struggled.
Johnson is signed through the 2018 campaign, but fellow running backs Chris Johnson, Andre Ellington, and Stepfan Taylor are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at season’s end. If Johnson is expected to be sidelined for a good portion of the summer, Arizona could be forced to add bodies to its backfield.
Hopefully he’ll be able to get healed in the offseason.
If it’s just his meniscus then he should be fine even if he decides to have it completely repaired like AP did he will have time to rehab and recover before next year.