Youth is prevalent in Arizona Cardinals running backs room

The Arizona Cardinals’ running backs room is loaded with a crew of young ball-carriers who are sitting behind David Johnson

There’s been talk lately about what running back David Johnson’s role will be in the Arizona Cardinals’ new “Air Raid” offense. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s system is one that relies heavily on the pass, but the club’s star performer has been promised a fair share of carries. Johnson is blessed with an incredible array of skills, so it’s safe to assume that the dual-threat back will be featured.

Sitting behind the Cards’ talented starter on the depth chart is a contingent of young runners, all under the age of 26. Johnson is fully capable of being a workhorse so his understudies may have to fight for scraps.

Arizona’s front office has high hopes for Chase Edmonds, 2018’s fourth-round draft pick. The Fordham University product didn’t do much as Johnson’s stand-in last season, but he certainly appears to have potential. How much Edmonds will used this fall will obviously depend on Kingsbury’s faith in him.

T.J. Logan, a fifth-round selection in 2017, was brought to the desert primarily to be the Cardinals’ kick-returner. It now appears that wideout Pharoh Cooper will be given that assignment so the University of North Carolina product will have to help out in another area. Logan touched the rock just nine times in ’18, after missing his entire rookie campaign with a wrist injury.

Another back, D.J. Foster, has been used primarily as a pass-catcher during his NFL career. That’s a quality that could be a huge plus for him in the eyes of Kingsbury. Foster is on the mend, however, after tearing his ACL and MCL during the Cards’ third preseason game last August.

Arizona will also bring three rookie running backs into the upcoming training camp. Slippery Rock’s Wes Hills, Syracuse’s Dontae Strickland and Tarleton State’s Xavier Turner are all longshots who’ll be hoping to impress the offensive staff this summer.

The 27-year old Johnson is the group’s elder statesman, so to speak. Cardinals’ management has apparently decided that veteran leadership among the young runners is not a necessity. But if some sort of guidance is needed, the classy Johnson is more than capable of showing his backups how to be a professional.