Cardinals Starting RB Chris Johnson In Fourth Preseason Game

Josina Anderson reports that the Cardinals will start RB Chris Johnson for the team’s final preseason game on Thursday.

HC Bruce Arians said on Wednesday that Johnson will have up to 12 carries for Thursday’s game, per Mike Jurecki.

This will be Johnson’s first action with Arizona, as he is now recovered from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the team’s last preseason game. Seeing that the team is still undecided on who will be their No. 2 back behind Andre Ellington, this is a huge opportunity for him to claim a role in the offense–let alone a spot on the active roster.

Arizona just signed Johnson to a one-year contract, worth up to $2 million. The team guaranteed $400,000 of his $870,000 base salary.

Arians mentioned shortly after he was signed that they aren’t promised him anything, including a roster spot.

Johnson, 29, has a similar skill set to Ellington, which means there is some question as to how the team would use both players. However, Ellington has dealt with injuries since entering the league, so I’m sure they could find reps for both players in a committee approach.

In 2014, Johnson ran for 663 yards on 155 carries (4.3 YPC) to go along with 24 receptions for 151 yards receiving and two total touchdowns during the 2014 season. Pro Football Focus rated Johnson as the No. 46 running back out of 57 qualifying players.