Cardinals place Chris Johnson on IR/Designated to Return list, make other roster moves
Dec 1, 2015, 3:01 PM | Updated: 4:59 pm
Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson (23) is chased by the Detroit Lions defense during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
The Arizona Cardinals made a handful of roster moves Tuesday.
The team announced it had placed running back Chris Johnson in injured reserve/designated to return with a knee/leg injury sustained Sunday against San Francisco. The designation means Johnson, who has rushed for 814 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the Cardinals, is eligible to return to practice after six weeks and play in a game after eight weeks, so his season is technically not officially done yet as he could, in theory, play in Super Bowl 50 if the Cardinals get there.
With the roster spot created by the Johnson move, the team elevated running back Kerwynn Williams from the practice squad to the active roster. Williams appeared in the Cardinals’ Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears earlier this season, carrying the ball one time for three yards. In five games last season, he rushed for 246 yards on 53 carries.
Along with those two moves, the Cardinals signed cornerback Corey White and safety D.J. Swearinger while it released cornerback Robert Nelson, Jr. and tight end Brandon Bostick. Swearinger was added to the practice squad.
The 6-foot-1 White played in seven games this season for the Dallas Cowboys, tallying four tackles and three passes defensed before being released on Nov. 17. He has also played for the New Orleans Saints, with whom he played in 41 games — 19 starts — after being selected in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Samford. With New Orleans he amassed 128 tackles (104 solo), four interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 19 passes defensed and one sack.
Swearinger was a second-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2013 out of South Carolina. He played in all 32 games from 2013-14 with 22 starts and then appeared in another seven for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. In 39 career games he has totaled 109 tackles, three interceptions, 10 passes defensed, one sack, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
