Cardinals Sign Veteran QB Josh Johnson Off Bengals' Practice Squad After Minshew Injury
With Gardner Minshew likely done for the year and Jacoby Brissett traded, Arizona adds the 40-year-old journeyman behind rookie Carson Beck
The Cardinals needed a quarterback, and they went for the most experienced one available. Arizona is signing Josh Johnson off the Bengals' practice squad, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday.
With veteran QB Gardner Minshew sidelined due to a UCL injury, the Cardinals are signing QB Josh Johnson off the Bengals’ practice squad, per sources. The Cardinals will be Johnson’s 15th NFL team in 14 NFL seasons.View on X →
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter): With veteran QB Gardner Minshew sidelined due to a UCL injury, the Cardinals are signing QB Josh Johnson off the Bengals’ practice squad, per sources. The Cardinals will be Johnson’s 15th NFL team in 14 NFL seasons.
The move comes hours after word that Gardner Minshew likely needs season-ending surgery on a torn UCL in his throwing elbow. Minshew got hurt late in the first half of Sunday's 17-3 loss in Seattle and played through it in the second half, but he's now seeking more medical opinions to confirm the diagnosis.
Arizona's quarterback room has been shrinking fast. Mike LaFleur named Minshew the starter after his comeback win in Dallas on Nov. 1, and the Cardinals then traded Jacoby Brissett to the Ravens. That leaves rookie Carson Beck, who spent the first eight weeks as the emergency third quarterback, in line to start on Sunday.
Johnson gives Beck a veteran behind him. Arizona will be the 40-year-old's 15th NFL team since the Buccaneers drafted him in the fifth round in 2008. He has completed 58.7 percent of his career passes for 2,669 yards, 14 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He also knows LaFleur, who was the Jets' offensive coordinator when Johnson was in New York in 2021.
The Cardinals (3-6) host the Rams (5-4) on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1:05 PM PT. They will be short at receiver too, since Michael Wilson is out for the season with a fractured vertebra.