It’s a one-year deal worth up to $2 million, according to multiple reports including ESPN.
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Darren Urban of Azcardinals.com later confirmed the deal.
Last season the Cardinals had the seventh-lowest rushing yards per game (75.0) and the fourth-lowest yards per attempt (2.8). While Andre Ellington will certainly be the featured back, Arizona was without anybody who could share the load or spell Ellington if he gets hurt again. It was still said, yeah, both guys [Johnson and Ivory] were going to get playing time. The third-round pick has been slow to recover and recently drew the ire of Arians, who said that “there’s no way in hell I’m putting him out there” after missing so many practices. Johnson turns 30 next month and isn’t the player he used to be. “That’s what we’re trying to do”.
Arians dismissed the possibility that Chris Johnson’s visit had motivated the team’s existing running backs.
While that indicates Johnson still has something left in the tank, he was always a hit-or-miss back, even in his prime. Last year, the Cardinals ranked 31st in rushing offense.
Johnson hit that mark with Tennessee, where he spent his first six NFL seasons.
It’d be a historical rarity for an aging back with his workload to return to a Pro Bowl level. In 2010, following his other-worldly performance where he rushed for career-highs 2006 yards and 14 touchdowns along with 5.6 yards a carry, he has not come close to matching that production.
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So, at 29, Johnson is out of work and looking for one last shot at relevancy. The bad news for Johnson is that he only has three weeks to convince Arians the Cards coaching staff that he belongs on the team’s 53-man roster.
