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Arizona Cardinals: Chris Johnson deal a home run

By Kevin Parvizi

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With rookie David Johnson struggling with a hamstring injury that will likely cause him to miss another week of time, the Arizona Cardinals needed to sign a running back to add some stability to the position. Change-of-pace guy Andre Ellington flopped as a sophomore under a workhorse of a workload, proving the Cardinals treatment of him as a rookie correct. Ellington is no three-down back, so his carries are best-optimized when he’s part of a 1-2 punch or a rotation.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: Where Does Ellington Rank Among Best RBs?

The Cardinals first zeroed in on Chris Johnson as their RB target of choice earlier this month, and he underwent a physical a few days ago before officially signing with the team yesterday. It seems like there was some haggling over price, and the initially reported figure of one-year for $2 million seemed way too high at first glance.

I mean, it just didn’t make any sense for the Cardinals to spend $2 million on a player who received no interest on the open market prior to the Cards, as not even the RB-needy Dallas Cowboys responded to his overtures. The Cardinals did, and I’m glad Johnson realized that this is his best opportunity.

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ESPN’s Ed Werder clarified this morning that the eyebrow-raising $2 million figure is indeed inaccurate, because Johnson would only earn $2 million if he runs for 1,300 yards and makes the Pro Bowl. No matter how bullish Johnson is on himself, that’s not going to happen, and he hasn’t hit 1,300 since the 2010 season when he was one of the NFL’s best offensive weapons.

So how much money will he actually make? The Cardinals will pay Johnson the veteran minimum of $870,000 on this one-year deal with no signing bonus, so they can cut him at any time without any guaranteed money (dead cap) on his deal. That makes him a cheap, no-risk signing, and the Cards would be more than happy to pay the bonus if he somehow puts himself in a position to rush for 1,300.

Johnson obviously isn’t that kind of  1,300-yard player, but he isn’t completely done yet. Even though he’s a subpar lead back, he seems like a nice fit for the Cardinals rotation after averaging a respectable 4.3 yards per carry on 155 rushes. Those numbers were a bit bloated and he wasn’t even half as valuable to the New York Jets as Chris Ivory, but the 29-year-old East Carolina product generally did his job as the team’s No. 2 back.

Signing Johnson gives the Cardinals a veteran back who has consistently produced ever since coming into the league as a 1,228-yard rusher, and if he is injured, he always plays through the pain with an unreal 16 games played in each of the past six seasons (he played in 15 as a rookie).

This deal is definitely a bargain for the Cardinals, because they are paying just about nothing for a player who will, at worst, be somewhat serviceable. They had no choice but to sign a veteran running back, so signing the best pure rusher available on the market (yes, the pickings are slim) to a minimum deal works out well. There’s no point in criticizing them for putting in sweeteners in the deal, and I’d argue that they should be praised for putting in that incentive as a way of motivating Johnson further while ensuring that they don’t lose out on their target (as the Houston Texans did with Pierre Thomas).

If Chris Johnson does beat the odds and turns back the clock as the Cardinals star feature back with 1,300 yards, then they would obviously be more than happy to dole out the full $2 million instead of $870,000. I mean, based on how well Carson Palmer played last season and the fact that he has Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and John Brown around him, the sky is the limit for the Cardinals offense if the running game fares out well.

Johnson will be part of a rotation in Arizona, and I can’t think of a single player on the team who is a “loser” as a result of this deal. Ellington gets a boost, because he won’t have to take as many taxing touches on the ground with a durable running back on the roster with the other Johnson dealing with an injury. It’s clear that Ellington needs to have his touches managed, because his explosiveness, agility, and sensational work after the catch are best seen when his role his limited.

It will be interesting to see what the Arizona Cardinals do at the running back position when it comes to divvying up carries, but I don’t expect to receive an answer until we see a certain Northern Iowa rookie taking some preseason snaps so the coaching staff can see what they have in him.

All told, there’s no risk here, and the Cardinals have signed a veteran who takes pressure off of everyone else due to the insurance he brings to the table. He doesn’t have too much left in the tank, but he isn’t completely gassed out and has something to offer, especially on a minimum deal.

Next: Who Is The Cardinals Best MVP Candidate?

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