Kansas City Chiefs: Larry Johnson
Johnson’s peak was one of those “if you blink, you’ll miss it” situations, but wow, was he good for a two-year stretch in Kansas City.
The Penn State product didn’t see much action in 2003, as Priest Holmes was in the midst of setting records before they were broken a hundred times before the end of the decade- the 2000s really were the years of the running back. Johnson became more of a focal point in the Chiefs offense in 2004, though. He spelled Holmes and ran for almost 600 yards and nine touchdowns. In 2005, he was the man in Kansas City’s offense.
Johnson ran for over 1,700 yards and 20 touchdowns, but still didn’t; lead the league in rushing scores because Shaun Alexander was busy running for 25 scores. He led the league in carries in 2006 with an ungodly 416 rushes. Again, he ran for over 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Johnson held out for more money going into the 2007 season, but his best days would prove to be behind him. He never eclipsed 1,000 yards in a season again. He bounced around from Cincinnati to Washington and finished his career in Miami, all stints that amounted to nothing.
It was a very short peak of greatness, but Larry Johnson had two of the best rushing seasons in recent NFL history.