Cardinals running back Chris Johnson returned to practice on Tuesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Johnson remains on short-term IR. 
His unfortunate late-season injury brought an end to one of, if not the, best comeback stories in the NFL this season. In 2015, the 30-year-old enjoyed a resurgence that few imagined could be possible over the offseason. In 11 games (9 starts) for the Cards, Johnson rushed for 814 yards and three scores off of 196 carries. Johnson will not be eligible to play until the Super Bowl and the Cardinals have some work to do before they get there.
Last season for the Jets, Johnson ran for just 663 yards, the first time in his career he recorded fewer than 1,000 yards in a season. However, he averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry for Gang Green in 2014 and the Cardinals saw potential in Johnson when no other team in the league did. The ground game was a weak spot in Arizona last season, as the team’s leading rusher, Andre Ellington, totaled just 660 yards, averaging 3.3 yards per carry, prompting the Cards to make the low-risk, potentially high-reward signing.
In October, the Cardinals went on record saying that they would look into an extension for CJ2K. Obviously, the Cards will now wait until their season is through to discuss their future with the veteran.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.