San Francisco 49ers: Stacking up the running backs against the NFC West
By Kevin Saito
Arizona Cardinals
Key Contributors: David Johnson, Elijhaa Penny, Chase Edmonds
What a difference a day makes. Or, in the case of the Arizona Cardinals, a season, and one running back.
Back in 2016, David Johnson burst onto the scene, breaking out with 1,239 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns to lead the team in both categories. His 879 receiving yards and four additional touchdowns gave him 2,118 total yards from scrimmage – which led the league by a wide margin. As did his 20 total touchdowns.
San Francisco 49ers
Fast forward to 2017 though. In the season opener, Johnson suffered a dislocated wrist that required surgery – an injury that kept him from returning at all last season.
And in his place, the Cardinals struggled mightily to run the ball. Without Johnson, the Cardinals cycled through Chris Johnson, Kerwynn Williams, Elijhaa Penny, and Adrian Peterson, whom the acquired in a deal with the Saints.
None of them proved to be a solution.
Johnson rushed for just 114 yards. Penny for 124. Williams rushed for 426 yards in 2017, and in his six games as a Cardinal, Peterson rushed for 448 yards and a pair of scores.
Arizona’s 1,386 total rushing yards ranked them thirtieth in the league, and their meager total of six rushing touchdowns still somehow ranked them twenty-eighth.
This year, David Johnson is back and healthy, looking to get Arizona’s running game back on track. Gone are some of the faces last year, so Arizona and Johnson will be looking for more from Penny this year, as well as fourth-round pick Chase Edmonds, who flashed some big league talent at Fordham.
If Johnson can get back to where he was, it would give a huge boost to an Arizona offense that may need one this season. A healthy Johnson is tough to defend and gives the Cardinals the second best running game in the division.