The Arizona Cardinals placed star running back David Johnson on injured reserve on Tuesday as he will need months to recover from surgery to repair a dislocated wrist. The Cardinals can designate Johnson as one of their two players eligible to return from the injured reserve list.
The surgery is expected to keep Johnson out 2-3 months. However, head coach Bruce Arians referenced a potentially lengthier timetable for Johnson’s return. In an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, Arians said the hope is that Johnson will be able to return to the field by Christmas.
Christmas is 15 weeks away, which should give Johnson ample opportunity to recover to a point where he could return to the field.
If the Cardinals are still in playoff contention by the time Johnson is ready to return, he could provide a sizeable boost to the team’s chances down the stretch. However, if the Cardinals aren’t in the running for the postseason, there would seem to be little incentive to putting Johnson back on the field just to play out the string.