Arizona Cardinals: How Does Andre Ellington Fit In?

By Dan Schmelzer | May 12, 2015

Averaging on 81.8 yards per game on the ground, the Arizona Cardinals statistically had the second-worst running game in the entire NFL last season. While Bruce Arians’ high-volume passing attack can partially be blamed for the total numbers, no matter how you look at it, the Cardinals’ rushing attack was unexciting and inefficient last season.

Their free-agent addition of guard Mike Iupati will certainly go a long ways towards improving their rushing attack, as he considered to be one of the best run blocking offensive lineman in the NFL. The Cardinals’ left side of the line with Iupati and tackle Jared Veldheer has a chance to be absolutely dominant in the run game.

With former guard Jonathan Cooper returning from injury, and the Cardinals drafting tackle D.J. Humphries in the first round, the right side of the line should be very solid as well. The Cardinals’ offensive line has massive upside, and should not be an issue for the team in the running game.

More from Arizona Cardinals

However, the running back position may be a bit of a question mark. Recent third-round pick David Johnson is a very talented back who figures to play a role with the Cardinals in his rookie season. Stefan Taylor and Kerwynn Williams were decent down the stretch for the Cardinals, and could step in if needed once again.

Last year’s starting running back Andre Ellington is a very interesting case.

Ellington burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2013. The sixth-round pick shined in a part-time role with the Cardinals averaging 5.5 yard per carry on 118 carries throughout the season. Ellington showed great agility, quickness and burst that gave him incredible upside at the running back position.

The Cardinals decided to give Ellington a much larger role in 2014, and it did not go as well. He entered the season with a foot injury that refused to go away. Ellington lacked the explosiveness that gave him so much success in his rookie year, averaging only 3.3 yards per carry on 201 attempts. Ellington’s foot injury forced him out of action after the Cardinals’ first 12 games of the season.

So, in 2014 Ellington carried the ball 83 more times in three fewer games, and only totaled eight more yards on the ground. Obviously, he was much less effective in his second season. What held him back is the major question going forward. Was Ellington less effective because of his foot injury, or was it because of the increased work-load?

The answer probably remains somewhere in the middle, but it is certainly fair to question his ability to handle a full load of carries going forward. Even if the foot injury was a majority of the problem, Ellington is a bit of a “scat-back” who is probably suited best for a more limited role. That does not mean that he cannot be the starting running back, but limiting his carries more than last season is probably the best solution regardless of health.

December 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians (left) talks to quarterback Logan Thomas (6) and quarterback Ryan Lindley (14) during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi

As far as the injury goes, Arians seems to think that Ellington has pretty much recovered. According to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com, in a late-April press conference, Arians described Ellington’s foot injury as being “95 percent healed, and there hasn’t been a reoccurance.”

If we can expect a healthy Ellington for the Cardinals entering the season, they could be in a much better position to perform in the running game. The offensive line additions should immediately help, and adding Johnson to the mix will help take the pressure off of Ellington to carry the entire load.

Ellington is a very talented player, but he may not be one who can handle a major workload. That is perfectly fine in today’s NFL where running back by committee approaches can be just as effective as having one stud back.

With great quickness and pure speed, Ellington has the talent to take one to the house at any point. His durability is a concern, but that is where the third round rookie comes in to play. Johnson is a bigger and more powerful back, who is a very dangerous receiver out of the backfield. Together, they can make for a very dynamic combination in the running game for Arizona.

Next: Cardinals' UDFA Mike Orakpo Has Massive Upside

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Arizona Cardinals