November in the NFL comes with injuries, and the Arizona Cardinals just took a brutal double hit. Right after Michael Wilson got sidelined for the season with a neck issue, they also received a Gardner Minshew injury update that can turn things bad fast for the Cardinals.
Starting QB Gardner Minshew is dealing with a torn UCL, head coach Mike LaFleur confirmed Monday.
Gardner Minshew Might Miss Season Due to Injury
According to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss, “Sources told ESPN that Minshew is seeking additional medical opinions to confirm whether he’ll need the UCL surgery.”
Minshew suffered the injury in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks in the final offensive snap of the first half.
Minshew drop-passed and was hit directly on his throwing arm by Seahawks edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. during a strip-sack. His arm collided with Fowler’s body mid-throw, tearing the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. In typical Minshew fashion, he actually played through the entire second half with the torn UCL before getting diagnostic testing.
If Minshew does undergo surgery for the UCL tear, his exact timeline out depends on which surgical path doctors take.
If he gets a UCL Repair with an internal brace, he will be out for at least 6 to 9 Months. That means the whole season at this point.
Since NFL quarterbacks suffer UCL tears from acute trauma, like a helmet or defender hitting the throwing arm mid-motion, rather than repetitive pitching wear-and-tear, they typically undergo the internal brace repair procedure — similar to Brock Purdy’s 2023 recovery.
They’re still waiting on results to find out the exact extent od damage, though.
It will be a tricky situation for the Cardinals since they will be forced to throw a still-recovering Carson Beck straight into the fire with no NFL experience. Also, with no backup.
This isn’t the only injury update either. Their receiving corps is just as banged-up.
Michael Wilson Out for the Season
A neck fracture knocked Michael Wilson out for the remainder of the year, while Gardner Minshew is seeking secondary opinions on a season-ending elbow injury. They are expected to sign Josh Johnson off the Cincinnati Bengals‘ practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“A source told ESPN that Wilson fractured a vertebra and was expected to be in a brace for the next six weeks to two months. LaFleur said he’s not worried about Wilson’s injury being long term,” Weinfuss confirmed.
“He’s such a warrior that he didn’t think much of it,” LaFleur said. “And then obviously when the adrenaline wore down, and he got his test today, that’s when we knew.”
The Cardinals’ receiving corps were already running thin after the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade. Then Jalen Brooks and Kendrick Bourne got injured and were ruled out for the season because of wrist and ankle injuries, respectively.
Arizona is now down to Simi Fehoko, Devin Duvernay, Reggie Virgil, and Harrison Wallace III as its only active receivers. Recently signed receivers Zay Jones, Shedrick Jackson, and James Proche II are currently on the practice squad.
“A lot of opportunity for guys to go out there and show us what they got,” LaFleur said. “So, where there are setbacks, there are setups for success. So, we’ll go from there.”
Cardinals Bracing for Another Season-Ending Injury in Gardner Minshew