The Arizona Cardinals’ season took another hit this week. Starting left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. will be placed on injured reserve for the third straight year and miss the rest of the season with a torn left biceps, head coach Mike LaFleur announced.
How it happened
Johnson was hurt in the fourth quarter of Arizona’s 36-24 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. He didn’t leave right away. He stayed on the field after the injury and came out a few plays later, reportedly trying to play through the pain before pulling himself from the game. The loss was Arizona’s third straight.
LaFleur said on Monday that surgery is coming. He didn’t know the exact date but said it would happen soon so the recovery process can begin. He also spoke about the toll it takes on the player and the team, and he acknowledged that the season has to go on.
Who replaces him
Seventh-round rookie Jayden Williams took over for Johnson and played six snaps against the Giants. He and Josh Fryar, an undrafted free agent from 2025, are now the top healthy options at left tackle. Fryar has done this before. He stepped in last year after Johnson went down in December with what proved to be a season-ending PCL sprain.
A pattern of late-season injuries
This is the third straight year that Johnson’s season has ended early. Counting a knee injury late in 2024, he has now had three straight seasons cut short, and he will have appeared in just 47 of a possible 68 games over his four seasons. His rookie year is the only full season he has played.
The loss is more painful because of how well he had been playing. Johnson was leading his position in Pro Bowl voting last December when the knee injury struck. He has started all 47 games he has played since Arizona drafted him sixth overall in 2023 out of Ohio State.
The contract question
The timing matters for Johnson’s next deal. Last season he spoke openly about wanting a big payday, saying he was ready to show why he’s worth $40 million. Arizona exercised his fifth-year option this offseason, but this latest injury could complicate extension talks. Because he can’t put anything on tape for the rest of 2026, it won’t help his case if those talks happen in the offseason.
What’s next
For now, the Cardinals are left to protect their quarterback with a rookie and an undrafted second-year player on the blind side. In the longer term, they and Johnson both face a decision about whether he can stay healthy enough to be the franchise left tackle they drafted him to be. One analysis argues that Arizona’s season won’t necessarily fall apart without him, though the line can’t let this become another stretch of instability.
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