Beanie Wells Injury Update: No Timetable Yet for Cardinals Back's Recovery

Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells could miss 1-2 weeks with a bone bruise injury, according to a tweet from Jason La Canfora of NFL.com.

Cards head coach Ken Whisenhunt on Monday refuted the report. Whisenhunt did not reveal the specific injury Wells sustained, nor did he offer any kind of timetable for recovery, but stated that Wells' knee did lock up on him and that it will not require surgery.

I don't know if bone bruise is accurate. I don't want to get into specifics of what it is. I don't want to put a time frame on it because I don't want to set the young man up for failure, Whisenhunt said.

Whisenhunt added that the club will monitor Wells' progress throughout the week.

In Wells' absence, Alfonso Smith has been tabbed as the likely starter, with Chester Taylor and LaRod Stephens-Howling also in the mix.

Wells, 23, left in the second quarter of the Cardinals 32-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday afternoon. He had a swelling and did not return. The former Ohio State Buckeye had 42 yards on 12 carries before exiting the game. Wells has already missed time this year after being placed on the inactive list in a Week 3 defeat by the hand of the the Seattle Seahawks.

Despite playing in just five games this year, Wells is tied for third in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with six. In 91 carries, he has recorded 423 yards on the ground overall. His best performance came in a 31-27 loss to the New York Giants earlier this year when he rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries.