Apparently, the bullet hole in his body has healed well enough that Chris Johnson can go back to trying to find the holes his offensive line creates. The running back was signed by the Cardinals on Monday to a one-year contract, reportedly worth up to $2 million.
That group is marked by its youth — no one from among starter Andre Ellington, David Johnson, Kerwynn Williams, Stepfan Taylor and Marion Grice has more than two years’ experience — so perhaps Arizona is hoping it can benefit from the experience the former Titan and Jet brings. The team could also simply be looking for a healthy body, as Ellington, Johnson and Grice have been plagued with hamstring injuries during training camp.
Presumably, the Cardinals aren’t expecting anything like the 2,000-yard season Chris Johnson put up during his Titans heyday, earning him the nickname “CJ2K.” That occurred in 2009, a season in which the back had a gaudy 5.6 yards-per-carry average. That average plunged to 3.9 in 2013, his final season in Tennessee, before Johnson, who will turn 30 in September, rebounded to average 4.3 yards on 155 carries in New York last year.
Newest Cardinals RB Chris Johnson's ability to make big plays has faded over the last 6 seasons pic.twitter.com/RKhdfg7Lr3
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 17, 2015
The Cardinals still plan on having Ellington as their feature back, although he is coming off an injury-marred 2014 season in which he averaged a woeful 3.3 yards per carry. But Johnson might serve in a variety of capacities, possibly even in a pass-catching role, while the rookie Johnson, a third-round pick, gets healthy and better acquainted with the playbook.
“I don’t think Andre needed [motivation],” Coach Bruce Arians said (via azcardinals.com). “David, he’s so young, he probably doesn’t even know who Chris Johnson is.”
After being signed on Monday, Johnson posted an image of himself in a Cardinals uniform, along with this caption: “Now time to start a new chapter of my life juiced up in AZ.”
Johnson, a first-round pick by Tennessee in 2008, has rushed for 8,628 yards and 51 touchdowns in his career, with an additional 2,154 yards and nine scores coming through the air. He has been to three Pro Bowls and was the AP’s 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.