Oct. 14, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Dan Williams (92) against the Buffalo Bills at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Training camp is always a great thing for football fans, but there are some negatives.
One of those negatives is injuries. The injury bug has hit lots of players this training camp, including Jeremy Maclin, Dennis Pitta and A.J. Green. It has plagued the Arizona Cardinals as well, as Dan Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Alex Okafor, Ryan Williams and others have suffered from injuries.
Which injury is the most costly? Our writers tackled that question.
Lamarr Harrison
Dan Williams by far is the most concerning injury. He had struggled to get his weight under control and he finally has. Now he is in a system where he will have the chance to attack more often. He was good at that coming out of college. Plus he still provided a big strong interior presence along the offensive line. Although David Carter is a solid back up, and I do mean solid, Williams is still the guy the Cardinals are going to need if they want to be able to stop the run this year. Granted Arizona has some pretty good depth on the line, 320 pounds is 320 pounds.
Sean McConnell
Luckily I’m hearing Dan Williams is doing fine and won’t need any serious attention after being rolled up on recently. That would have been a huge blow to the Cardinals run defense scheme. Before the news on the 2nd about Dan not having a major injury, I’ve got to say the most concerning injury is still Ryan Williams. I know they have a deep running back core, but the fan in me is worried that this guy won’t last enough to be that explosive player we all hoped for.
Matthew Gay
As exciting as it is to see the camp start its just as nerve-racking to see who comes out unscathed from getting back into football shape. We have all read the reports on Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Williams, Dan Williams. If I could pull a healing card for any of the three players it would be Dan Williams.
The depth at defensive tackle isn’t as good as running back. Mendenhalls tendinitis is manageable during the season and allows Stephan Taylor and Andre Ellington to gain experience while they spell Mendenhalls knees. I hate Ryan Williams situation as he had so much promise and probably would have had a better story if he was drafted by a different team. He is a good candidate to heal and produce for another team this season.
Cyle Gill
With the injuries the Cardinals have sustained in training camp, the player that I’m most concerned about would have to be Daryn Colledge with his nerve injury. Reports have it that he got kicked in the leg, causing damage to his nerves, hopefully its not bad and he can get back into the mix along the line, but with nerves, it could end up effecting him the rest of his life and as someone with sciatica, I feel his pain and wish him the best.
Baily Deeter
I think Rashard Mendenhall is the most important player who has been hurt, but his injury isn’t significant. None of the injuries are significant, but I think Ryan Williams’ is the most concerning. His explosiveness could be hurt (even though the injury is insignificant), which is the last thing the injury-prone Williams needs.