Arizona Cardinals: Lift load from Johnson
By Scott Allen
Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson has been the offense so far in 2016
Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson has accounted for almost 60 percent of their offensive yardage this season. He touched the ball 41 times in their 6-6 tie with the Seattle Seahawks on October 23rd.
He has 705 yards on 156 carries so far this season. He has eight touchdowns, all on the ground. That doesn’t mean he isn’t getting his touches in the air either. He has 35 receptions for 407 yards. That’s 191 touches in eight games.
If you like math, and I don’t particularly, but that is just shy of 24 touches per game. The Cardinals have said they want to get him the ball 25-30 times a week.
However his body is taking a beating but he is still ticking. Last week in Carolina was a tough one for him. It wasn’t all his fault. The offensive line couldn’t do much right. Johnson though only carried the ball 10 times thanks to game circumstances. He also had seven receptions.
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The 41 touches against the Seahawks were a bit much, even for an overtime game. Other guys need to step up. The problem now though is just not a matter of others stepping up (see Michael Floyd), but it is also a matter of available personnel.
The Cardinals lost running back Chris Johnson, thus leaving Andre Ellington, Kerwynn Williams, and Stepfan Taylor to back him up. Chris Johnson may return if the Cardinals decide to give him the team’s one designation to return from injured reserve.
Even if he comes back at this point though, he can’t be counted on to take carries from David Johnson. Ellington’s durability issues keep him from getting more than a few carries a game.
For this season, if he stays healthy, it likely isn’t an issue. Going forward though, all that beating will take a toll. Johnson is a guy we’d all like to see around for several years, not a one or two year hit.