Carson Palmer not improving, getting second opinion

Since one doesn’t seek out a second medical opinion when injuries are healing well, the Arizona Cardinals probably have plenty of reason to worry about quarterback Carson Palmer.

Palmer will seek a second opinion from a specialist on his injured shoulder, according to Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, via Darren Urban of AzCardinals.com. Arians said there’s “no concern” about Palmer’s injury being long term, and Palmer hasn’t been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. While that sounds dandy, it’s not comforting that the 3-0 Cardinals’ starting quarterback is still experiencing problems.

Palmer has a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder. He threw last Thursday and Friday and the injury regressed, Arians said according to the Cardinals’ site. Drew Stanton has started Arizona’s last two games, then the Cardinals had a bye last week. If Palmer doesn’t make a quick recovery before the Broncos game, that will be four weeks he has missed, and the injury isn’t getting better.

Stanton has played pretty well in Palmer’s place, and the defense has been very good in the 3-0 start. However, he doesn’t have a long track record of success, with just four starts in his first seven seasons before filling in for Palmer this year.

Arizona’s schedule is tough this year, and it won’t be easy going through it with a backup quarterback, even if Stanton has been less mistake-prone so far than Palmer.

The Cardinals are keeping a positive face on Palmer’s injury, and maybe he’ll return soon. But the signs right now don’t look very good.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab