Arizona Cardinals Interested In Chris Johnson

Al Pereira/Getty Images

Al Pereira/Getty Images

With teams getting prepared for the regular season, players that are still out on the free agent market will look to sign on before the start of the season. The Arizona Cardinals have offered former New York Jets running back Chris Johnson a one-year contract, according to multiple reports.

Last season for the Jets, Johnson rushed for 663 yards on 155 carries, accumulating one touchdown. Johnson got lost in the Jets run game, playing behind Chris Ivory and eventually, Bilal Powell. He did not make the impact that the Jets had hoped for.

Even though Johnson is past his prime at age 29, there is still some upside to him. He has solid speed and could be used in short-yardage situations. For a few seasons he was known for breaking out into big runs, but has began to decline in recent years. The problem with Johnson is he has a reputation of getting into trouble off-the-field and not producing the way the team wants him to.

Arizona is giving Johnson a chance; the team needs a backup running back for starting running back Andre Ellington. Johnson could be a good fit into the role if the team could get this deal done. It is a low-risk, high reward situation as it is only a one-year deal and the team can dump him at the end of the year. Johnson could still have a shot of getting the starting job since Ellington is injury prone