Bruce Arians originally thought Carson Palmer would be out eight weeks, but he said the quarterback was hoping it would be more in the 4-to-6-week range. If that ends up being the case -- and there is apparently reason to believe it could be -- that would be the best case scenario. Palmer was expected to have his surgery on his broken left arm today.

Former NFL team doctor David Chao writes articles about NFL injuries for the San Diego Union-Tribune and, via Twitter, often makes a general prognosis on an athlete's injuries based on video review. In Palmer's case, Chao also wrote an article about the part-time San Diego resident, saying that a return in 4-to-6 weeks makes a lot of sense. According to Chao, the video seems to show an isolated ulna fracture in the forearm. Other position players Chao had helped when he was a team doctor actually came back with a splint in as little as two weeks. Palmer likely needs more time given how much he handles the ball, but having him in a spot to play with a protected left (non-throwing) arm is possible in a little over a month. There is an outside chance, thanks to the bye, that Palmer could miss as few as three games.

The timing of all this is crucial because a trip to injured reserve means Palmer would have to miss eight weeks minimum. Keeping him off IR means he can return whenever -- and would also keep the door open so that both running back T.J. Logan and David Johnson could be brought off IR and could both still play again this year.