The Arizona Cardinals have been trying to keep their head above water while Kyler Murray finishes recovering from a torn ACL, but that’s about to get a lot more difficult.
Running back James Conner will reportedly miss multiple weeks with a knee injury he sustained in Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. No further details about Conner’s injury are known, though he could be a candidate to go on injured reserve if the Cardinals believe he’ll miss four weeks or more.
Conner’s injury came in the second quarter. After breaking off a 35-yard run that helped set up a go-ahead touchdown, he jogged right into the blue tent and from there went into the locker room. He didn’t return for the rest of the game. When he left, Conner had six carries for 46 yards.
Undrafted rookie Emari Demercado replaced Conner, and he had 57 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown. Keaontay Ingram would have typically been Conner’s fill-in against the Bengals, but he’s been dealing with a neck injury and was inactive on Sunday.
The Cardinals claimed veteran running back Tony Jones Jr. off waivers Monday, though they also have a number of internal options to fill the Conner-shaped void left on the offense. Demercado was actually targeted on Sunday and did pretty well with the increased playing time. Ingram is on the 53-man roster and will be a candidate once he’s better. Damien Williams and Corey Clement are both experienced veterans currently on the practice squad.
Arizona is 1-4 and will face the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, and Cleveland Browns over the next four weeks. If Conner goes on injured reserve, he will miss all of those games. And with the timeline for Murray’s return still fuzzy, the Cardinals are in real danger of letting their season slip away before it’s even halfway over.
