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As you probably know, Cardinals' pro bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie suffered a knee injury in Saturday's loss to the Saints. It occurred early in the game when Rodgers-Cromartie's leg was twisted under a Cardinals offensive lineman. He was helped off the field and didn't return. News from Sunday's MRI were encouraging, as the young corner may not need surgery. This is from azcardinals.com:
The MRI of cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie showed that he chipped his tibia of his left leg and also injured his medial collateral ligament. He will undergo further tests this week to determine if surgery is needed...Officially, the MCL is just injured. The extent of that injury has yet to be determined.
That's good news to hear considering surgery could cause Rodgers-Cromartie to miss most of the offseason camps. DRC suffered a bruised kneecap just two weeks earlier in the season finale against the Packers.
In other news, the Cardinals have entered offseason mode by signing all eight of the practice squad players to future contracts. Of the eight, Ali Highsmith(LB) and Onrea Jones(WR) stand out as the two that could make an impact in 2010. Others signed were Rashard Barksdale(CB), Ed Gant(WR), Ryan Kees(DR), Jonathan Palmer(G), Tom Pestock(T), and Mark Washington(LB).
The Cardinals also know now that they will hold the 26th pick in April's draft - possibly the only positive from Saturday's loss.