Don’t look now, but the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals has done it again. On Tuesday, free-spending executive Steve Keim added yet another impressive free agent to the Cards roster. This time around it was James Conner, a fifth-year running back from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who was welcomed to the desert.
Conner is just the latest in a long line of gifted ball-carriers that Keim has brought to the Cardinals. Over the past eight years, the organization’s top talent-evaluator has done an excellent job of replenishing the position with skilled individuals. While it can be argued that Keim has had somewhat of a blindspot in certain areas, his work at the running back spot has been consistently outstanding.
One of Keim’s first free agent pickups for the Cards occurred back in 2013, when he signed Rashard Mendenhall away from the Steelers. The 5’11, 210 pounder started 15 games for the squad, racking up 821 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. Mendenhall announced his retirement in March of 2014, roughly one year after joining the Cardinals.
One month after signing Mendenhall, Keim landed Andre Ellington during the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The club got great value out of the pick, as evidenced by the above-average career that the Clemson University product enjoyed with the Redbirds. In 61 appearances (15 starts), Ellington totaled 1,750 rushing yards, 1,296 receiving yards and 13 total scores for the franchise.
In April of 2015, Keim came away with an outright steal during the third round of the draft. David Johnson, a 6’1, 224 pounder out of Northern Iowa University, was credited with 5,347 yards from scrimmage and an eye-popping 48 total touchdowns in five seasons with Arizona. In 2016 alone, Johnson registered 1,239 rushing yards, 879 receiving yards and 20 scores in 16 starts for Big Red.
Chris Johnson, the former Tennessee Titans superstar, was also acquired by Keim in the spring of ’15. During his first campaign with the Cards, the 5’11,195 pounder ran for 814 yards and three rushing touchdowns in 11 contests (nine starts). Unfortunately, Johnson suffered a knee injury during a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that cost him Arizona’s final five matchups.
Two years later, in October of 2017, Keim orchestrated a trade with the New Orleans Saints for future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson. The longtime member of the Minnesota Vikings was brought in to help ease the absence of David Johnson, who was lost for the year with a fractured wrist. Peterson rumbled for 448 yards and two scores in six starting assignments for the Cardinals.
The following spring, Keim selected Fordham University’s Chase Edmonds during the fourth round of the 2018 draft. In 45 professional appearances (four starts), the 5’9, 205 pounder has amassed 959 rushing yards, 610 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns for the Cards. Edmonds, a backup for most of his time in the league, is expected to take on a more expanded role for the “Air Raid” offense in ’21.
Keim struck again in October of 2019, when he wrestled Kenyan Drake away from the Miami Dolphins for a fifth-round draft choice. In one and a half seasons with the Cardinals, the 6’1, 211 pounder totaled 1,598 yards and 18 scores on the ground, and added another 308 yards on 53 receptions as well. Last month, Drake left the “Valley of the Sun” after agreeing to a free agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Keim’s track record with running backs is certainly worthy of praise. Fans of the team can only hope that the newly-acquired Conner will continue the success that Arizona’s rushing attack has enjoyed for years.