According to Ian Rapoport, Cardinals LT Paris Johnson Jr. has been diagnosed with an MCL injury and will be week-to-week going forward.
Translated from NFL injury jargon, that means Johnson is expected to miss some time but not enough to necessitate a trip to injured reserve, which would be a four-game minimum and end his season.
That said, the Cardinals are among the most opaque teams in the league with injury info. Given their record and how late it is in the season, it’s quite possible Johnson is just shut down to avoid further risk.
Johnson, 24, moved from right guard to left tackle in 2022 and was a consensus All-American in his final season at Ohio State. The Cardinals drafted him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He is in the third year of a four-year, $30,359,563 contract that included a $19,079,682 signing bonus and a fifth-year option for the 2027 season.
In 2025, Johnson appeared in 12 games and made 12 starts for the Cardinals at left tackle. Pro Football Focus had him graded as the No. 20 tackle out of 82 qualifying players.
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