Chris Johnson placed on short-term injured reserve, could return for Super Bowl

After roughly 24 hours of speculation and reports, we now have the official news on Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson. The team announced he has a chip fracture on his tibia and has placed him on injured reserve/designated to return. The veteran is eligible to return after eight weeks, but that means the only game he could possibly play in is Super Bowl 50...and then, of course, only if the Cardinals make it to the Super Bowl.

It was clear he was going to miss enough time to use his roster spot and where the team is in the season at this point, they really weren't going to be able to use the one-time designation to return after this week, so the move makes sense.

Johnson's regular season ends, having rushed for 814 yards on 4.2 yards per carry and three touchdowns. He rushed for 100 yards or more in four games this season and provided a dimension in the running game the Cardinals have not seen in recent years (and some could argue for a really, really long time).

To replace Johnson on the roster, the team elevated running back Kerwynn Williams from the practice squad.

Williams, who rushed for 100 yards in his first action last season coming off the practice squad, could get the chance to make an impact right away. With Andre Ellington currently suffering from turf toe, Williams will join rookie David Johnson and Stepfan Taylor as the only healthy backs on the roster.

Williams rushed for 246 yards in five games last season, averaging 4.6 yards per carry down the stretch. He played in one game this season, carrying the ball once for three yards in Chicago.

The team also announced several other roster moves. I'll go over those in another post soon.