Head Coach Mike McCoy announced after practice today that Stevie Johnson will undergo a procedure on his right knee, and the team will have a better idea of how much time he will miss at that point.
"Just to give everybody an update on Stevie, it's his right knee," McCoy said. "He will have a medical procedure done in the next couple days. We'll have a better idea of how long he will be out once that procedure takes place. We'll give you some rough estimates after he gets it cleaned up. An unfortunate situation for everything he's done to this point in time. We'll go on from there."
McCoy was then asked if he was hopeful the wideout could be back for the season opener.
"I'd love for him to be ready (for Week 1)," he said. "But we'll see. Until they get in there, clean some things up and see exactly what they've got to do, (then we'll know) how long (until) he'll be back. Hopefully we'll have more information in a couple days."
Johnson sustained the injury on Sunday during 7-on-7s. Number 11 made a sliding catch, popped up and took a few steps before going back down to the ground. He eventually was helped off the field and into the locker room with the team's training staff.
The nine-year veteran is one of the most popular players in the locker room, and his injury hit his fellow wide receivers hard. Tyrell Williams' locker is right next to Johnson, and says it is a blow to not have him by his side.
"It sucks that he went down, but hopefully he will be back soon," he said. "We'll all have to pick it up while he's gone. He's meant a lot to me. Whenever I had an off day or a bad day on the field, he was always able to pick me up. You can definitely feel a difference when he is there and not there."
Nonetheless, Johnson's injury opens the door for players behind him on the depth chart to make their mark. One of those wideouts eager to showcase his talents is undrafted free agent Dom Williams, who explained the mentality of trying to capitalize on the opportunity.
"It was hard to see Stevie go down because he's helped me out a lot. I could ask him any question and he'd help me out, especially with technique. I've just go to keep improving each day. It's a blessing to be here, so I need to make plays when I have to, and hopefully Stevie will be back as soon as possible."
