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Cardinals running back David Johnson is supposedly one of the best running backs in the NFL. He’s certainly one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL. He’s nowhere close to the most productive running back in the NFL.

Johnson managed just 39 yards on 14 carries, plus another 31 yards on three catches, in Thursday night’s loss to the Broncos. After the game, he was out of answers about what the Cardinals’ offense can do to get things going.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Johnson said.

During the 2016 season Johnson looked like one of the league’s elite running backs, but he missed 15 games with an injury in 2017 and hasn’t been able to get anything going in 2018. Over his last nine games he has 122 carries for 365 yards, a shockingly bad average of 2.99 yards per carry.

When the Cardinals signed Johnson to a three-year, $39 million extension before the season, they were expecting him to be a cornerstone in their offense. He hasn’t been, but that’s not necessarily his fault: The Cardinals’ play calling usually gives Johnson the ball up the middle, and the offensive line usually doesn’t give him any holes.

The Cardinals’ offense is a mess right now, and Johnson hasn’t been able to clean it up.