The Arizona Cardinals have a good offense, but they are lacking a true threat at the running back position. Andre Ellington is the starter right now, but he has endured injuries. General manager Steve Keim has some options in the free-agent market if he wants to bolster the position, most notably Chris Johnson, Ray Rice and Pierre Thomas.
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Apparently, Johnson is going to get the first crack at being part of the depth chart, with Johnson going to Arizona for a workout and physical, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. The Cardinals are hoping to have a better ground game than they did in 2014, when Ellington was injured and playing like Marion Grice tried to fill the void. It goes without saying that failure was a constant in that department.
Johnson is toward the end of his career but he can still be a serviceable running back. Johnson began his career with the Tennessee Titans in 2008 and came flying out of the gates with 1,228 rushing yards. The following year, Johnson was able to crack the magical 2,000-yard barrier while averaging an absurd 5.6 yards per carry. After that, Johnson churned out four more 1,000-yard seasons but was never quite the same player. Last year, Johnson was cut by Tennessee and signed with the New York Jets, rushing for 663 yards.
Johnson, 29, can also catch the ball out of the backfield. However, he is not much of a blocker, something that most coaches like in a reserve back. Johnson also can’t play special teams, another potential strike against him. The talent is still there to an extent, so the Cardinals could take a flier on the value.