Cardinals Lose Paris Johnson Jr. to Season-Ending Injury: 4 Instant Reactions

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are set to lose starting left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. for the rest of the season after the former first-round pick tore his biceps in Week 4.

Johnson, set for surgery soon, exited on the final play from scrimmage against the New York Giants in their eventual loss, and the unsettling news was confirmed on Monday by Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur.

"I don't know exactly when it's [surgery] going to happen, but it's going to happen soon to obviously get the process going. I feel for him, obviously. ... It sucks for him first and foremost. Sucks obviously for the Arizona Cardinals, our offense, this team. But you know, [this is] NFL football. Here we are in October. Show goes on," LaFleur told reporters Monday.

Four immediate thoughts:

Brutal Break For Leader of Cardinals' OL

Though Johnson wasn't voted a captain, Johnson was the undisputed leader in Arizona's offensive line room — and this is a massive gut-punch for a Cardinals starting five that's already been tested with injuries in the interior.

Johnson, in his fourth year, now has landed on injured reserve in his last three seasons. Arizona's unit was already viewed as hit-or-miss, and one of their most tenured players on offense now is sidelined for the rest of 2026.

The Cardinals lost by far their best tackle and vocal leader upfront all in the same swing.

Cardinals Confident in Jayden Williams

The late-round pick went from a potential roster cut to a fun training camp story in the blink of an eye this summer — and now Williams will be tasked with entering starting duties. The seventh-round tackle impressed in preseason duties and now has an opportunity to continue his progression.

"Really, really impressed with Jayden. I think I've said that in here if I haven't. But he's wise beyond his years. Obviously played big-time college football, so we got a lot of confidence in him," said LaFleur.

"Obviously, he's been doing some stuff in the 13 personnel game when we go to the two tight ends plus him, and he's not limited to just the run game. He can actually do some stuff — he was a tight end coming out. So not to be confused with a tight end in the NFL, but you guys know what I mean."

Williams has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself, and the Cardinals don't believe the moment is too big for him.

Will This Impact Game-Planning?

Losing your best tackle often spells doom for offenses, and with Elijah Wilkinson struggling at right tackle, the Cardinals may not believe they'll have much time to get passes off.

Jacoby Brissett's average time to throw of 2.6 seconds ranks bottom five in the NFL, pending Monday Night Football. His average intended air yards of 6.6 is bottom ten in the league as well.

Arizona's offense already doesn't push the ball deep downfield, but LaFleur didn't sound like the Cardinals will drastically change how they go about business.

"It's all 11, and then the variables of the defense you're going against. Do they have great edge guys? Do they have great interiors? Do they have a corner that plays [center]field? But all those kind of things," he said.

"So there's a lot of factors that go into it. Each week can be a little bit different in terms of who you're trying to 'protect' a little bit more, and who's going to have a little bit more of a stressful down. And you try to move that stress around a little bit so that it's not just 60+ plays of stress for those said players. So yeah, I mean, there's a lot of factors."

Paris' Longterm Future is Now in Question

Unfortunately, with Johnson still needing a second contract, this season-ending injury really clouds up the big picture and his standing with the Cardinals.

Arizona picked up his fifth-year option, keeping the Ohio State product under contract through the 2027 season. However, Johnson became extension-eligible this past offseason and was hoping to get a long-term deal done with Arizona.

It's no secret Johnson was looking for top dollar, though two prior season-ending knee injuries and now a biceps issue will cause some serious questions to rise in future contract negotiations.

Johnson will either have to bet on himself returning and reaching a high level of play or take a massive discount compared to what he was likely asking for.

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