The Arizona Cardinals suffered a big blow on Friday night during their second game of the preseason which came against the Green Bay Packers. Second-round draft pick Ryan Williams from Virginia Tech had showed a lot of promise in training camp and in his first preseason game but now it looks like he's out for the season.
Arizona Republic beat writer Kent Somers is reporting that Williams has ruptured his patella tendon and will miss the rest of the season. Coach Ken Whisenhunt informed the media of the preliminary diagnosis after the game. The injury status isn't official, but the locker room is dejected.
Williams was carted off the field early in the third quarter after a Packer apparently landed awkwardly on his leg. The rookie running back out of Virginia Tech was expected to carry a pretty big load for the Cardinals in 2011 so this comes as a blow to a team hoping to reclaim the NFC West crown. The Cards are left with Beanie Wells, LaRod Stephens-Howling, and Alfonso Smith in the backfield. Per Somers, the team will now look for help in free agency or pick up a player when teams start roster cutdowns.
It looks like the Cardinals decision to trade Tim Hightower came about three weeks too early in this case.