Cardinals star David Johnson shares he’s no longer in cast

Although the Arizona Cardinals have received little good news about injuries in 2017, star running back David Johnson is at least making progress.

The third-year pro shared a video revealing that he’s still wearing a brace on his left arm but is no longer in a cast.

Shedding the cast is an important step for Johnson, whose status for the remainder of the season has been unclear. After head coach Bruce Arians said it’s unlikely Johnson returns, the player said nobody truly knows what is going to happen.

If Johnson is completely healthy, he’ll likely push to rejoin the starting lineup. And since the Cardinals have seven games remaining, there’s still enough time that an appearance or two in 2017 seems feasible.

However, Arizona might simply want to protect Johnson and not force the issue. In all likelihood — especially as the team continues shuffling through quarterbacks due to injuries — the Cardinals are going to officially disappear from the playoff picture quickly.

The simple truth is that other than on fantasy football teams, Johnson wouldn’t provide much meaningful value this year.

If he’s even healthy enough to play during the closing weeks, Arizona must decide whether the possibility of an injury-affected offseason after an injury-shortened regular season is worth the risk.