Carson Palmer has an elbow injury
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) passes the ball during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Cardinals 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has turned his season around by putting together a string of four “plus” performances in his past five games, and he has done a nice job of attacking the field vertically in Bruce Arians’s scheme. With talented No. 2 wideout Michael Floyd breaking out and more pieces falling into place, Palmer should be solid from here on out. That’s going to be crucial for the Cardinals, who have clear playoff aspirations at this point.
Palmer was limited during Wednesday’s practice and was listed as having a right elbow injury, but the quarterbacks didn’t actually throwing during practice yesterday and neither Palmer nor Arians made any mention of the injury. According to the Arizona Republic’s Kent Somers, the injury is indeed real, and it isn’t just a day of rest for the Cards QB.
However, Somers is also quick to add that the “feeling around the team” is that Palmer’s elbow is “not a cause for concern” and that the veteran “is expected” to play this week against the rival St. Louis Rams. There’s no reason to deviate from that expectation, but Somers offers up evidence that Palmer clearly did suffer some sort of an elbow injury. At the top of the article, he showed a picture of Palmer’s elbow getting bent back awkwardly due to a hit from Eagles pass rusher Trent Cole. Somers then went on to detail Palmer’s struggles with underthrows as well as the signs of pain that he showed during the game.
Prior to the loss to the Eagles, Palmer had played four straight great games and, again, got his season back on track after some struggles early on in his first year with the Cardinals. Hopefully this injury is indeed minor, but it’s not about whether or not Palmer misses games; it’s about whether or not the elbow injury will limit his effectiveness. He’s had significant elbow injuries in the past, so that’s another wrinkle to it.