Carson Palmer Injury: Updates on Cardinals Star's Shoulder and Recovery

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 21 

John Weinfuss of ESPN provides an update on Carson Palmer's status: 

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 14

Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com provides a statement from Carson Palmer discussing how he is feeling following his return to the Cardinals in Week 6:

"

'It felt great all day,' Palmer told ESPN.com on Monday night.

'I treated it today and it definitely was tired after the game, but felt really good.'

[...]

Palmer doesn't know how long it'll take to regain the full strength in his arm, which he called 'weak' after Sunday's win over Washington.

'I hope to get as many reps in as possible because I need them,' he said.

'It's going to take a while. It's going to take at least a week of throwing, I would think. It's kind of what I'm expecting to really get it back. It just needs to get back in shape. It's just out of shape. It's like sitting on the couch after training camp -- you have a knee issue or high ankle sprain, you just get out of shape, you get out of the football shape. My arm's out of throwing shape, and that'll come back.'

"

Updates from Monday, Oct. 13

Cardinals.com's Darren Urban has the latest on Palmer:

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 12

The Arizona Cardinals and Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com provided comments from Carson Palmer, who spoke about his injury following the team's Week 6 win against the Redskins:

Jim Corbett of USA Today passes along head coach Bruce Arians' thoughts:

The Cardinals previously confirmed Palmer would be active:

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed Palmer would start:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 10

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com has official word on Palmer:

Urban has the latest from Bruce Arians:

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 9

Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 provides details from Carson Palmer's practice:

ESPN's Josh Weinfuss has an update on Palmer's status:

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 Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer left Denver on Monday morning with significant improvement in his right throwing shoulder, according to the consultant who treated him last weekend.

Greg Roskopf, the founder and CEO of Muscle Activation Techniques, worked with Palmer from Friday to Monday and said there was "pretty significant" improvement to the nerve injured in Week 1 against the San Diego Chargers.

"

Weinfuss reports that Palmer's status is still in doubt, though:

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Whether Palmer can play Sunday, however, is still undetermined. Roskopf said Palmer will visit him again Friday for another evaluation.

[...]

Palmer told Roskopf that he threw 40 to 50 passes Tuesday, but he hasn't suffered a setback yet. This week will be a tricky balance for Palmer and the Cardinals' training staff, which is trying to increase Palmer's workload each day while not overworking the shoulder.

"It's a very delicate line," Roskopf said. "If he exceeds his tolerance level at the time, then it almost puts it back to sleep. It shuts it down again."

"

Darren Urban later reported on Palmer from Cardinals practice:

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 8

Carson Palmer is inching his way back onto the practice field according to Darren Urban of azcardinals.com:

Kent Somers of AZCentral.com reported on how far Palmer was able to throw a pass:

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports had previously passed along updates on Palmer's status:

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 5

ESPN's Josh Weinfuss has the latest update on Carson Palmer's shoulder:

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer previously reported on when fans could expect to see Palmer return to game action:

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Carson Palmer flew to Denver on Fri,worked w nerve specialist last 2 days & FINALLY think got nerve to release. Optimistic now if no setbacks chance he can play next wk or following week the latest. 

"

Updates from Friday, Oct. 3

Fox Sports' Mike Jurecki has the latest on Palmer:

The Cardinals followed that by naming their starting quarterback for Sunday:

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 2

Carson Palmer spoke to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com about his shoulder injury and the diagnosis:

Urban later shared more comments from Palmer on his injured shoulder:

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'That was all positive,' Palmer said Thursday. 'We’ll just continue with the rehab we’ve been doing with our guys and see if this thing will wake back up.'

(...)

'One of the things I have learned is that nerves are very finicky and very unpredictable,' Palmer said.

(...)

'You have to push it,' Palmer said. 'You can’t just sit back and cross your fingers and pray and hope.'

"

Earlier, Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Arizona updated Palmer's status:

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Cardinals QB Carson Palmer visited Los Angeles-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Watkins for additional information regarding the nerve issue in his shoulder. He's suffering from "axillary nerve contusion" a numbness over part of the outer shoulder, shoulder weakness, especially when lifting the arm up and away from the body. He’ll should be able to continue his current rehab with the team. The injury happened in week one against the Chargers, it was a running play where he wasn't able to get down before taking a hit on his right shoulder.

Bruce Arians mentioned on Wednesday that Palmer could be doubtful for Thursday practice but its possible he still could be the back up QB this weekend. A lot will depend on his condition Thursday through Sunday.

"

Jurecki also details the treatment for the injury:

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Axillary Nerve Contusion treatment: Depending on the cause of the nerve disorder, some people do not need treatment. They get better on their own. The rate of recovery can be different for everyone. It could take months to recover. (25 days since the injury)

"

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 1 

Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona provides an update on Carson Palmer's shoulder injury:

Last week Palmer had a setback with his shoulder injury according to Kent Somers of AZCentral.com:

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 30

ESPN's Ed Werder has an update on Palmer:

Updates from Monday, Sept. 29

Kent Somers of AZCentral.com reported on Carson Palmer's recovery and participation in Cardinals practice:

Updates from Wednesday, Sept. 24

Carson Palmer talked about his time table for a return, according to ESPN's Ed Werder:

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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer told ESPN he will "definitely'' be ready to start against the Denver Broncos in Week 5 following his team's bye week.

"I'm fired up to be 3-0. I'll definitely be ready against Denver," he told ESPN in a text message.

"

Kent Somers of AZCentral.com reported on Palmer from Cardinals practice:

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com also reported on the possibility of a quarterback competition:

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 23

Carson Palmer commented about his shoulder injury on Tuesday via Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic:

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Az Cardinals QB Carson Palmer told me his shoulder is better. "It's much, much better." Says nerve issue is going away & he's geting "close"

— Bob McManaman (@azbobbymac) September 23, 2014"

Alex Marvez of FOX Sports added:

Updates from Monday, Sept. 22

Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 reported on Carson Palmer following Week 3:

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 21

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com reported on Carson Palmer's status for Week 3:

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Carson Palmer will not be the backup quarterback today; Not surprisingly, is is inactive for a second straight game. Defensive end Frostee Rucker, coming back from a calf injury, is active so that will help on the defensive line. Actually, there are no surprises on the inactive list today really, taking away some of the 90-minute-before-drama that has been there the last first two games. Tight end Rob Housler (hip) will sit today, so Darren Fells gets into his first NFL game.

"

Updates from Friday, Sept. 19

Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports bad news on Palmer's status for Sunday:

Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona adds that Palmer could still see action:

Updates from Thursday, Sept. 18

Kent Somers of AZCentral.com provides a statement from Carson Palmer discussing his recovery:

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Palmer said the arm has improved every day and that he's 'made progress every day.'

He's trying various therapy methods, including electrical stimulation, acupuncture, heat, ice, massage and even a machine that sends electrical volts through his body.

[...]

'i've been getting 4½, five hours' sleep because I've been doing a lot of extracurricular activities with different people who think they can help. I'm going to continue to do that. It's been very time consuming, very costly, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes.'

He's tried something called 'dry needling,' which is as uncomfortable as it sounds.

Palmer has consulted other doctors, but he's confident in the Cardinals' medical team, which also solicited outside opinions.

'I wish I had a concrete answer or somebody knew exactly what to do to wake it up," Palmer said. "The only answer is time, and I'm hoping it doesn't take any more time.'

"

Will Carroll of Bleacher Report also weighed in on Palmer's status: 

Updates from Wednesday, Sept. 17

Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com provides a synopsis of Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians discussing Carson Palmer's injury and recovery:

Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group and Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times provided more from Arians on Palmer:

Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reported on Palmer from Cardinals practice:

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 16

ESPN's Ed Werder provides a synopsis of his conversation with Carson Palmer discussing his injury status:

Updates from Monday, Sept. 15

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com passed along quotes from Bruce Arians on Carson Palmer's injured shoulder:

Earlier, Urban provided a statement from Cardinals general manager Steve Keim discussing Palmer's recovery:

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The right shoulder nerve injury with quarterback Carson Palmer leaves him day to day, Keim said. 'The timeline is a little bit of an unknown,' Keim said. The injury should only get better, Keim added, but now, it’s day to day. It’s still possible Drew Stanton gets the 49ers start this coming Sunday.

"

Kent Somers of AZCentral.com previously provided a statement from Palmer discussing his injury status:

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Palmer suffered the injury last Monday night when he went down on a running play, and he isn't sure when he will be able to return.

'They said my shoulder was stretched out and I landed on the nerve, shut the nerve down,' Palmer said. 'It's just one of those things you've just go to wait and hope it wakes up. There's no, 'it needs 48 hours. It needs six days, it needs 12 days. You just don't know.'

"

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 14

Mark Dalton, Cardinals VP of media relations, confirmed Carson Palmer's status for today's game:

Head coach Bruce Arians and Palmer spoke about his shoulder after Sunday's game via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com):

Original Text

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer's Week 2 status could be in jeopardy, as the 34-year-old is experiencing issues with his shoulder.

Kent Somers of AZCentral.com provides details on the injury:

Bleacher Report's Michael Schottey praised the talent on this Cardinals team. However, the one major area of weakness he sees is at quarterback:

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Palmer was the 18th-ranked quarterback in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Sorted by PFF's signature QB rating, that drops to 20th. It doesn't make Palmer the worst quarterback in the league, but it does make him a liability for any team with playoff aspirations. ...

... There is so much to love about the Cardinals except for the guy taking the snaps from under center.

"

Last year, Palmer threw for 4,274 yards, 24 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He was one of the more confounding QBs in the league because he could look great one week and awful the next, which is largely how Palmer's last handful of seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals went.

If Palmer is out, attention turns to Drew Stanton and Logan Thomas. Neither quarterback is a solid replacement, which is a major concern for the Cardinals in the stacked NFC West.

As much as Arizona fans likely complained about Palmer's inconsistency, he offered the team its best chance of at least doing well enough to win a wild-card spot. If he were to miss any time, the Cardinals' playoff chances would take a serious hit.

Then again, maybe Stanton or Thomas can step up. Arizona has a solid core, so maybe that can compensate for the lack of consistent quarterback play.