If Cardinals’ Johnson has his way, return won’t be tied to team record

Fleshing out when Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson makes his return from a complex wrist injury isn’t as easy as asking one person.

Player, head coach, trainers and team executives might all have different opinions.

One thing we do know: Johnson doesn’t care about the Cardinals’ playoff odds — or lack thereof — whenever he’s cleared to play.

He just knows he wants to return this season and if he has his way, that won’t be dictated by where Arizona stands record-wise.

“Health is totally separate,” Johnson told ESPN reporter Adam Schefter on a podcast this week. “I’m really just trying to get on the field as quick as possible. Record doesn’t mean anything.”

Problem is, Johnson himself can’t estimate a return date.

He’s still in a cast, just started working out after a long layoff and knows that he won’t even get a read on his status for another “couple weeks” when the cast comes off and rehab begins.

Then there’s the outside factors. Who can say if the Cardinals’ front office will feel comfortable with Johnson returning if Arizona is eliminated from the playoff picture?

“We’ll continue to monitor it and see if he can get back at some point of the season,” Cardinals general manager Steve Keim told Doug & Wolf Tuesday on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Arizona coach Bruce Arians on Tuesday wasn’t optimistic that the team will have both Johnson and rookie back T.J. Logan returning this season after each suffered similar wrist injuries that required surgery.

“You’d have to ask the doctors,” Arians said. “Right now, I doubt it.”

It was hard to tell if that comment came from Arians’ gut feeling about Johnson’s rehab process or came with a hint of apprehension about playing a healthy Johnson if the season goes downhill before his return.

Last week, Johnson told 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Mike Jurecki that he’d just begun working out again. Speaking with Schefter, the running back said that’s because he wasn’t even allowed to sweat until recently — stitches from the surgery needed to stay dry to avoid infection or any setbacks.

There’s no exact date determined for when the cast comes off at this point. Johnson just knows that it’s a few weeks down the line.

That puts Johnson’s return well past the Nov. 7 date where he would be eligible to come off the injured reserve.

“It really just depends on, when I have the cast off, how long it takes the stiffness and soreness to go away,” Johnson said.

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