Height Weight : 224 Age : 26 : 6-1: 224: 26

Born : 12/16/1991 Memphis, TN

College : Northern Iowa

Experience : 4th season

High School : Clinton HS [IA]









The Perception:

The perception for any player in the NFL has been and will forever be fit under the statement of “what have you done for me lately”. Past success receives little acknowledgment when a recent season ends in falter providing criticism onto the player that may not be justified. This description is clearly the case when discussing the Cardinals superstar running back David Johnson. The 2017 season became a disaster due in part to a wrist injury which ultimately held Johnson out for the entire campaign, forming the public opinion to instantly forget the great success David achieved a season prior. While the forgetful nature of the casual football fan can be forgiven, hearing some experts explain their reasons believing a rebound will not transpire comes as quite a shock to us at ADF.





Normally an injury sustained to the wrist (much like Johnson suffered) could be rehabilitated in an eight to ten week time frame allowing the player to finish the year with potentially seeing six to eight games. This didn’t happen as the Cardinals feel out of playoff contention forcing the Arizona brain trust to cut their losses placing Johnson on the shelf for the remainder of the season. Having only played one contest and touching the ball a mere 12 times for 29 yards, is the glaring issue providing the perception that Johnson isn’t one of the best running backs in the NFL today, clear short memories.





Going back to his breakout season in his short career (2016), David Johnson let the world know he was robot-like racking up yardage at will becoming the go to option on that Cardinals offense. The impressive resume for Johnson goes far beyond the statistics when you see how the man is built physically. David possesses fantastic height and weight for a lead back teamed with deceptive speed and quickness, with a one cut move that could rival the best in the game. Adding to that, Johnson has some of the best hands we’ve seen from a big man coming out of the backfield while making defenders miss in the open field gaining massive chunk yards in the process. Don’t fall asleep on David Johnson regaining his throne in 2018.





The Reality:

In 2016 David Johnson was the talk of the league after starting his career on the bench while being selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft. It was clear early on that David would be a force playing in the Bruce Arians system which exploited the talents of top end running back skill. When all was said and done (in 2016), David Johnson amassed 293 carries for 1239 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground, very impressive. The accolades didn’t stop there as Johnson was able to generate handsomely in the pass game that same season hauling in a whopping 80 receptions for 879 yards and 4 more touchdowns, unbelievably incredible.





While ADF is fully onboard with endorsing Johnson for the 2018 season, a few question marks do arise when reviewing this edition of the Cardinals. First, the new regime taking over in the desert is assembled and ready to apply their systems and schemes which takes time to form. That being said, offensively Arizona hired one of the brightest minds to run the show in Mike McCoy which should give credence to a sound run attack and play action pass. McCoy ended up being the scapegoat in Denver where he was let go during the season as inept play forced the hand of the Broncos coach Vance Joseph to part ways. The firing from the Broncos in no way diminishes the genius in McCoy’s play calling ability and should again be proven correct in his first season with the Cardinals. All signs point up for Johnson from this perspective.





The other aspect that could cause worry for the overall production of David Johnson is the uneven career of their new pivot Sam Bradford. Don’t get us wrong, we believe Bradford can still play at a high level, but his injury history is far too long to ignore. With training camp just around the corner, new system installations will be the focus for Bradford as David Johnson looks to help ease the transition for this new offense. Finding ways to continue down the positive trend, the offensive line which has been somewhat of a disaster in recent years has been corrected with key free agent additions like former Giants standout Justin Pugh. Teaming up with Center AQ Shipley and Guard Mike Iupati, the Cardinals could effectively have one of the best interior lines in the NFL, another giant uptick for David Johnson. Offensively the Cards do have great potential to be head and shoulders ahead of last year’s unit.





The Outlook:

With the few concerns listed, the overall outlook for the Cardinals and David Johnson look quite plentiful for them to get back on track in 2018. David Johnson has again been on record to suggest he is capable of achieving the unprecedented 1000/1000 yard club this season. With those unfamiliar, it’s Johnson’s belief that he can garner 1000 rushing yards and 1000 receiving yards in the same season, quite the difficult yet possible task for a player of his skillset. It’s no question this offense should revolve around the run game leaving Johnson as the main benefactor. It’s important to note the Cardinals do house a great supporting cast to remove pressure from Johnson essentially opening up lanes for him to gallop through. Future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald still defies father time continuing to play at an extremely high level. Adding rookie standout Christian Kirk to the mix only compounds the issue for opposing defenses to single in on David Johnson with stacked boxes. With a season of rest on his legs, David should come into this campaign rejuvenated and ready to prove he is the best in the business.



