The hope surrounding the Arizona Cardinals to begin the 2026 campaign has quickly vanished into thin air, as the team has followed up an upset Week 1 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers with three straight losses. Making matters even worse, injuries are beginning to pile up, which means getting back in the win column will be even more difficult than initially anticipated.
In the team’s Week 4 loss to the New York Giants, Arizona lost its starting left tackle, Paris Johnson Jr., to a bicep injury. The hope was that Johnson wouldn’t have to miss too much time as a result of this ailment, but on Monday afternoon, the team received a devastating update regarding his injury status moving forward.
Cardinals Lose Paris Johnson Jr. to Season-Ending Bicep Injury
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cardinals selected Johnson hoping he could be their long-term answer at left tackle, and so far, he has seemed capable of being that guy. The only thing that has slowed Johnson down to this point is injuries, but when he’s on the field, he’s been one of the better left tackles in the league.
After appearing in all 17 games as a rookie, Johnson missed three games in 2024 before missing five in 2025. With Johnson making it clear he wants a massive contract extension from Arizona in the future, this was a big season for him from an individual perspective, as he was attempting to prove he can be the sort of guy deserving of the deal he’s looking for.
Johnson tried to gut out his aforementioned arm injury on Sunday afternoon, but he ended up succumbing to the pain and pulling himself from the game. As it turns out, Johnson was attempting to play through a torn bicep, with head coach Mike LaFleur revealing the diagnosis on Monday. Johnson will now have to undergo surgery to repair the injury that will end his season prematurely.
“A big loss: Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur said LT Paris Johnson Jr. tore his bicep and now will be out for the season,” Adam Schefter of ESPN shared in a post on X.
Cardinals Must Find a Way to Replace Paris Johnson Jr. Along the O-Line
The left tackle position is the most important spot along the offensive line, as this guy is responsible for protecting the quarterback’s blindside. As a result, losing Johnson is a big blow, as the offense has been struggling early in the year even with him on the field. Guys like Johnson don’t exactly grow on trees, so LaFleur and the coaching staff are going to have their work cut out for them when it comes to finding a way to mask his loss.
With Johnson out, Jayden Williams seems set to step in at left tackle for the time being, with Josh Fryar also being an option behind him. The Cardinals are suddenly pretty short on depth at the tackle spots, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see some more moves be made to address this need over the coming days. The team will be back in action in Week 5 for a clash against the high-powered Detroit Lions, with kickoff scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Oct. 11.
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