David Johnson (RB) - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals’ Johnson, Palmer Done For Season

November 22nd, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals were hoping to get at least one of David Johnson or Carson Palmer back before the end of the season. On Wednesday, coach Bruce Arians announced that a return to action is unlikely for both players. In fact, no one on Arizona’s IR has progressed all that much in rehab, Arians says, and that group includes rookie running back T.J. Logan.

At 4-6, the Cardinals’ odds of making the playoffs are not all that strong, but it will be even tougher to sneak in without two of their most important offensive players. The odds calculator at Football Outsiders gives the Cardinals just a 0.4% chance of reaching the postseason.

Johnson was among the league’s best offensive players last year with more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. The Cardinals swung a surprising trade for Adrian Peterson before the deadline, but the veteran has not been able to replicate his production.

Recently, Palmer expressed optimism that he could return at the very end of the season.

“I could potentially be available the last two weeks of the season,” Palmer said earlier this month. “Who knows? I don’t know where I’ll be (with rehab) at that point. I don’t know where we will be as a team at that point. I just try to be as ready as I can as quick as I can.”

The 37-year-old (38 in December) will probably weigh retirement this offseason. If he does decide to play, there is a contract in place for 2018.

Cardinals’ David Johnson Done For Year?

October 31st, 2017 at 4:30pm CST by Zachary Links

At one point in time, the Cardinals hoped to have David Johnson back on the field by Thanksgiving or Christmas. Now, it sounds like he’ll miss the whole holiday season. Coach Bruce Arians “doubts” that Johnson will return this year (Twitter link via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic).

Johnson recently admitted that he was unsure of his recovery timetable, so Arians’ comments do not come as a total shock. The Cardinals do not want to rush one of the game’s most talented ball carriers back on the field, and it’s certainly not worth the gamble given the way the season has gone.

The Cardinals are currently 3-4 and without starting quarterback Carson Palmer, so their playoff chances are looking pretty remote. Football Outsiders gives Arizona just a 0.7% chance of reaching the postseason with Johnson on the shelf and Drew Stanton filling in for Palmer.

Johnson, 25, was arguably the league’s best offensive player in 2016 as he posted more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 total touchdowns. With Johnson sidelined, the Cardinals first turned to a committee of Kerwynn Williams, Andre Ellington, and Chris Johnson, but have since acquired veteran running back Adrian Peterson from the Saints.

Latest On Cardinals RB David Johnson

October 28th, 2017 at 8:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Placed on injured reserve in early September after undergoing surgery for a dislocated wrist, Cardinals running back David Johnson admitted on Friday he isn’t sure when he’ll be able to return to the field, according to Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM.

“I hope I do get back, but I really don’t know,” Johnson said. “The wrist is a complicated limb and it’s tough to say, just because I still have this cast on. I haven’t even started rehab so I don’t know yet.”

The wording of Johnson’s answer is somewhat alarming, given that the third-year back is seemingly unsure if he’ll be allowed to play again this season. The NFL’s injured reserve rules stipulate a minimum eight-week absence, but Arizona head coach Bruce Arians said a best-case scenario for Johnson entails a Thanksgiving return.

Regardless of Johnson’s health, the Cardinals could conceivably hold him out for the rest of the year, especially if the club isn’t in playoff contention. Football Outsiders gives the Cards just a 0.7% chance of earning a postseason berth, and a trip to the playoffs looks incredibly unlikely now that quarterback Carson Palmer has joined Johnson on IR.

Johnson, 25, was arguably the league’s best offensive player in 2016 as he posted more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 total touchdowns. With Johnson sidelined, the Cardinals first turned to a committee of Kerwynn Williams, Andre Ellington, and Chris Johnson, but have since acquired veteran running back Adrian Peterson from the Saints.

Latest On Cardinals RB David Johnson

October 12th, 2017 at 12:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have a new running back in Adrian Peterson and it sounds like they’re going to be leaning on him for a while. The “earliest” that Johnson could conceivably return to the field is around Thanksgiving, coach Bruce Arians tells SiriusXM NFL Radio (link via Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic).

The Cardinals take on the Texans on Nov. 19, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, before facing the Jaguars the following week. Only under the best of circumstances will we see Johnson in uniform by then. In theory, Johnson is eligible to come off of IR for Nov. 9 against the Seahawks, but that’s apparently not in the cards.

On the plus side, Johnson says everything is going according to plan so far.

“Rehab’s going great,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “Just got my cast. Feeling good.”

Last year, Johnson was the Cardinals’ top offensive weapon as he totaled over 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 touchdowns. The Cardinals are hoping that Peterson can recapture some of his old magic and restore some of what Johnson provided to the offense.

Extra Points: Kap, Savage, Browner, Johnson

September 13th, 2017 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick is working out five days a week and is back to his 2013 weight, 230 pounds, as he awaits a potential NFL opportunity, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. Thanks partially (perhaps entirely) to his social activism, Kaepernick hasn’t garnered a single offer since he and the 49ers parted ways in March. While the 29-year-old would like to resume his career, he’s not saying it publicly because he worries that doing so would lead to further claims that he’s a distraction, Florio suggests.

Cardinals’ David Johnson To Have Wrist Surgery

September 12th, 2017 at 11:02am CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals running back David Johnson will undergo wrist surgery this week, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. He’s expected to miss between two and three months of action. The Cardinals will place him on IR with the hope that he’ll be able to return during the season.

Sunday will represent Johnson’s first missed game as a pro, and while the Cardinals — who are now signing Chris Johnson — have some veterans who will take over, none are on David Johnson‘s level. While David Johnson sat behind both Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington as a rookie in 2015, he’s taken massive leaps as the latest Arizona third-round success story.

David Johnson must spend at least eight weeks on IR, so Week 10 would profile as his earliest return window. The Cardinals play both Seahawks games in the second half, with Week 10 being the NFC West contenders’ first meeting.

The Cardinals hoped the second opinion Johnson sought could prevent this, but AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban categorized the attempt as a “hail mary” (Twitter link).

The 2016 first-team All-Pro was Arizona’s top weapon and its most reliable factor in making a potential playoff return. But this changes the Cardinals’ season before Week 2 even begins. The third-year back totaled over 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 touchdowns last season.

In addition to Ellington and Chris Johnson, the Cardinals employ Kerwynn Williams — who’s functioned as a backup in Arizona for four seasons — and just signed D.J. Foster off the Patriots’ practice squad. Arizona also has 2016 UDFA Elijhaa Penny, although with CJ2K now back in the fold, this five-running back setup may not last — especially now that David Johnson will be on IR.

Cardinals’ David Johnson To Miss Time

September 11th, 2017 at 2:26pm CST by Zachary Links

This is not the way the Cardinals wanted to start their season. After losing to the Lions on Sunday, the Cardinals have learned that running back David Johnson will be out for an extended period of time with a wrist injury.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians tells reporters Johnson’s initial prognosis is the same as T.J. Logan. That’s a bad sign since the rookie was ruled out for approximately 12 weeks after suffering a wrist injury in early August.

The early word is that Johnson will require surgery, but he’ll get a second opinion this week to determine the best course of action. If he recovers within the expected timeframe, he could be a candidate to return from IR later this year.

Arians says that the Cardinals will consider re-signing running back Chris Johnson to help fill in the gap. Johnson was released by the team just prior to the 53-man deadline. Fortunately for them, CJ2K is still available. The 31-year-old rushed for 814 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to D. Johnson as the club’s starting running back in 2015. He missed the bulk of last year due to injury.

Cardinals’ David Johnson Has Sprained Wrist

September 10th, 2017 at 6:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Superstar running back David Johnson suffered a sprained wrist in the Cardinals’ loss to the Lions today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Johnson will undergo an MRI on Monday which will determine whether he’ll be sidelined for a few weeks or “half the season or more”, a source tells Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that it’s not yet definite that Johnson will miss any time.

Losing Johnson for several games would represent a massive detriment to the Arizona offense, while an absence of “half the season” could be a death knell for the Cardinals. Arguably the NFL’s best offensive player in 2016, Johnson led the league in yards from scrimmage and scored 20 total touchdowns.

Without Johnson, the Cardinals would turn to a running back corps that includes Kerwynn Williams — who posted a touchdown on five carries today — Andre Ellington, and Elijhaa Penny. James Summers, currently on Arizona’s practice squad, is a candidate for promotion, while the Cardinals could also look at veteran Chris Johnson, whom they released during final cutdowns.

Johnson wasn’t the only Arizona offensive player to go down on Sunday, as left tackle D.J. Humphries suffered a knee sprain and is out for several weeks.

Extra Points: Bell, Elway, Bears, Lions

July 15th, 2017 at 8:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Le’Veon Bell would stand to make $12.1MM guaranteed if he and the Steelers weren’t able to come to terms by Monday afternoon. While Bell’s camp is surely asking for a deal north of the $10MM-per-year range due to this tag number, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks could see LeSean McCoy‘s $8MM-per-year agreement could remain the standard for backs. The damage players incur at this position limiting their shelf lives, along with the marginalization that’s impacted this job, makes Brooks wonder if any back is worth that much money under the current cap. An AFC executive, though, mentioned Bell, David Johnson and possibly Ezekiel Elliott as backs worth a major second contract.

“In today’s game, the running back has to be able to contribute as a runner, receiver and blocker to be a viewed as a marquee player,” the exec said, via Brooks. “Johnson, Bell and maybe (Ezekiel) Elliott are the ideal guys to man the RB1 spot because they are big backs with the size and speed to run between the tackles or on the edges, but they are also capable of being a big part of the game from anywhere in the formation (backfield, slot or out wide).”

Johnson is coming off a meniscus injury, while Bell tore his MCL in 2015 to further illustrate how tenuous these players’ windows for dominance can be. Johnson is also two months older than Bell but two NFL seasons behind him, so Bell might have a better chance of cashing in since Johnson will turn 27 at the end of his rookie deal. But Bruce Arians recently said his breakout running back doesn’t have a ceiling, indicating the Cardinals might opt to keep him long-term once he’s extension-eligible after this season.

Here’s the latest from around the league.

The Broncos and GM John Elway‘s negotiations heated up this week, and Mark Kizsla of the Denver Post notes the team wants to richly reward the exec for his contributions during what’s been one of the franchise’s best stretches in its 57-season history. But the longtime columnist writes the unfortunate battle with Alzheimer’s Pat Bowlen’s encountered makes the Broncos harder to assess from a longer-term perspective, attempting to explain the slowed process for an Elway re-up.
A decision-making presence the Broncos once extended (before firing him), John Fox is on a hot seat at his most recent job, Michael Rothstein and Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com write. Fox having gone 9-23 in two Bears seasons puts the veteran sideline bastion in danger of being fired for a third time, provided the Bears don’t push for the playoffs, per Dickerson. The writer notes chairman George McCaskey’s lack of patience might lead to another change. Dickerson adds third-year GM Ryan Pace should join Fox on the hot seat, but he’s likely to be safer than the coach is.
Cornelius Washington ventured from the Bears to the Lions in part because of Detroit’s attacking 4-3 scheme as opposed to the 3-4 currently being deployed in Chicago, Tim Twentyman of Lions.com notes. Washington will be a part of the Lions’ rotation up front, with Twentyman predicting the former Bears backup will have a good chance to rush from the tackle spot on passing downs.

No Surgery For Cardinals RB David Johnson

January 2nd, 2017 at 1:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals running back David Johnson only suffered an MCL sprain in the regular season finale, coach Bruce Arians says (Twitter link via Cardinals PR man Mark Dalton). That means no surgery for the Cardinals star, only rehab and rest.

The Cardinals are thrilled to learn that Johnson will not have to go under the knife after suffering a gruesome-looking injury in Week 17. An MCL sprain is no walk in the park, but a more serious knee injury such as an ACL tear could have sidelined Johnson for a good chunk of next season.

Johnson, 25, ran for more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage while scoring 20 total touchdowns. While this was a down year for the 7-8-1 Cardinals, Johnson had a tremendous individual season and asserted himself as one of the very best running backs in the NFL.

In other Cardinals news, three teams in search of a head coach have asked to speak with offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin. Also, the draft order is set for the top 20 and Arizona holds the No. 13 overall pick.