GM Steve Keim updates Arizona Cardinals’ injury situation

The Arizona Cardinals’ trip to Denver didn’t really go according to plan.

Not only did the Broncos beat the Cardinals 41-20, but Arizona suffered a multitude of injuries that could prove costly moving forward.

Quarterback Drew Stanton, cornerback Patrick Peterson, defensive end Calais Campbell and tight end Troy Niklas all left the contest and were unable to return.

General manager Steve Keim was a guest of Doug and Wolf Monday morning on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM and updated the situation on the injured players, including Campbell, who appears to be the most seriously injured.

“Calais will have an MRI this morning, it looks like it’s a Grade-2 MCL sprain,” Keim said. “Those are tricky in that there have been guys that have played the following week and there are guys that have missed a couple of weeks.”

Campbell was the victim of a chop block by Denver tight end Julius Thomas in the third quarter, a block head coach Bruce Arians called the dirtiest play he’s seen in his 37 years of coaching.

Thomas was flagged, but remained in the game and caught his second touchdown pass after the penalty. He apologized to Campbell through teammate Antonio Cromartie after the game.

“Pat Peterson did not have a lot of swelling after the game and is probalby going to be day-to-day, but I don’t expect him to miss any significant time,” Keim said.

Peterson suffered an ankle injury late in the contest and hobbled off the field.

Stanton was sacked by Denver’s Von Miller in the third quarter and was slow to get up. He was replaced by rookie Logan Thomas, who made his NFL debut and threw an 81-yard touchdown pass to Andre Ellington.

“We’ll go through the concussion protocol and we’ll know a little bit more on him later as well,” Keim said.

With starter Carson Palmer’s status still very much in the air due to a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder and Stanton facing the concussion protocol and an uncertain immediate future, Keim finds himself in a difficult situation in terms of staffing the quarterback position.

“That depends on the next 24 to 48 hours,” he said. “There are some unknowns on Carson still and then depending on how Drew responds from the concussion. We’ll be ready. We have two to three names of guys we’ll bring in on a moment’s notice, but we just have to see how the next 24 hours plays out.”

Keim said Niklas, the rookie tight end from Notre Dame, has a high ankle sprain and will undergo an MRI Monday.

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