Cardinals' Chris Johnson: Having surgery for sports hernia

Johnson (groin), who was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, is having surgery to repair a sports hernia, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Analysis:

Even when surgery is required, sports hernias aren't necessarily season-ending injuries, with players often able to return after approximately two months. Interestingly enough, safety Tyvon Branch is having the same procedure, and he was also placed on injured reserve Tuesday. The Cardinals will evaluate both players' progress, with one of the two likely to eventually return from injured reserve after a minimum stay of eight weeks. Johnson may be the more familiar name to most NFL fans, but Branch has arguably been more important to the team this season. With the elder Johnson out of the picture, David Johnson will have a bit less competition for carries, though his teammate's presence wasn't having much impact on the second-year runner in any case. Andre Ellington, Kerwynn Williams and Stepfan Taylor will provide depth.