When running back David Johnson suffered a fracture in his left wrist in the Arizona Cardinals 2017 season opener, fans knew the offense lost firepower
Johnson was the workhorse that propelled Bruce Arians’ high octane offense. With Johnson’s brutally aggressive running style, Arians was able to dominate teams with a smash mouth interior running game. The ultimate result was a highly dangerous downfield passing game, that heavily utilized play action passing.
Without Johnson, Arizona’s well-oiled machine lost its steam. Quarterback Carson Palmer ultimately retired after only playing in seven games throughout his final season, and the Cardinals sputtered to an 8-8 record. Now, a returning David Johnson means returning hope in the desert.
The Cardinals have an intriguing quarterback room with journeymen Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon hoping to mentor and groom polarizing rookie quarterback Josh Rosen out of UCLA. But Arizona’s offense will fail or succeed based on the legs and durability of their running backs.
Enter Fordham’s Chase Edmunds. Edmunds, much like Johnson, is an old-school runner that should bring a violent tenacity to Arizona’s backfield. Throughout his four collegiate seasons, Edmunds dominated against FCS competition, compiling well-over five thousand yards and 74 career touchdowns.
Even more impressive than Edmunds ludicrous collegiate statistics, is his admirable work against bigger FBS programs such as Army and Navy. In games against higher-level competition, Edmunds showcases a unique ability to make tacklers miss and fight through initial contact. Even when handicapped by underwhelming offensive line play, Edmunds consistently displayed a natural instinct to fight for extra yards.
What makes Edmunds a genuinely unique FCS prospect though, is his overall pro-readiness. Edmunds is a capable pass protector, and while he was just sparingly used in Fordham’s passing attack, he does have solid receiving traits. Edmunds catches the ball away from his body, and consistently puts himself in a position to gain yards after the catch, by squaring his hips downfield.
So how big of an impact will Edmunds play in Arizona? It all depends on the durability and effectiveness of David Johnson, in Mike McCoy’s freshly implemented offense.
Look for Johnson to carry the majority of the load in Arizona’s backfield. However Edmunds should be able to come in and make a strong impact from day one.
While Johnson has done much of his damage with quarterbacks lined up under center, Fordham’s offense primarily ran Edmunds in shotgun formations, with a heavy use of zone-blocking. Without a doubt in my mind, Edmunds ability to run out of the shotgun played a huge role in Mike McCoy wanting him in Arizona’s running back room.
Still, there are questions that need to be answered about this Cardinals backfield. Will David Johnson be the same violent runner he was pre-injury? Will Edmunds be overwhelmed by such a monumental jump in level of competition?
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Only time will tell how those questions will be answered. But one thing is clear: Arizona is going to get off the bus running the ball. With two smash-mouth runners, look for head coach Steve Wilks to bring an old-school, bruising blueprint to University of Phoenix Stadium this Fall.