Cardinals' Chris Johnson set to prove something to himself

Just as in life, there are no guarantees on a Bruce Arians-coached football team. You've got to work for what you get and keep earning your worth if you want to stick around longer than the next guy. It can be a brutally tough existence.

That's why it might be a perfect match, this intriguing new relationship between the Cardinals and veteran running back Chris Johnson, who was introduced on Tuesday after agreeing to a one-year contract with the club.

Arians believes there's plenty enough left in Johnson, the former 2,000-yard rusher, that he still "can hit a home run every time he touches the ball." The record-bearer for the fastest electronically-timed 40-yard dash in NFL combine history (4.24 seconds), Johnson remains "one of those guys that makes you hold your breath," Arians said.

But Johnson has been promised nothing. He could end splitting carries with Andre Ellington or find himself listed behind rookie David Johnson on the depth chart. Arians left open the possibility that Johnson, should he earn it, might be able to become the Cardinals' featured tailback.

"If he wins it," Arians said. "I'm open to anything once you win it."Then again, Johnson could end up getting cut. His playing time and his role won't even be determined until he proves he can make the team, which is saying something considering last year was the first time in his seven NFL seasons he failed to rush for at least 1,000 yards.

He ran for 2,006 yards with the Tennessee Titans in 2009 and is one of just seven backs to ever crack the 2,000-yard mark.

But in a three-week span earlier this year, Johnson not only lost his job with the New York Jets and the $4 million in salary that went with it, he was attacked by gunfire while stopped at a traffic light with two of his friends, both of whom were also wounded, one of them mortally.

Profile: Chris Johnson

Johnson, who still has a bullet lodged near his right shoulder, is thankful for a job and just happy he's alive.

"I don't say (I have) something to prove to somebody," he said before taking the field for his first practice. "I say (I have) something to prove to myself. With everything I went through, I'm just happy to be back playing football on Sundays."

The violent act of getting shot has left more than just a slug of lead in his trapezoid. Staring down a bullet makes you think.

"Of course, it changes how you look at life," Johnson said.

Johnson said the drive-by incident in March left him on bed rest for six weeks and that he lost somewhere between 20-25 pounds. When he finally was up to it, he hooked up with trainer/Fox reporter Jay Glazer and began feverishly working out every day in California.A handful of teams called, but the only one Johnson said he was interested in was the Cardinals.

"Just looking at the offense, they've got great guys on the outside to stretch the field. They've got a quarterback that can get it down the field," he said. "My whole career, I've kind of been dealing with eight or nine (defenders) in the box and not having a quarterback like Carson (Palmer) and not having receivers out there like that to stretch the field for me, so I just felt like this would be a good situation for me.

"It's a team that's been winning and going to the playoffs. The last time I went to the playoffs was my rookie year. I didn't want to go anywhere that wasn't a winning team or somewhere that was on the verge of winning. I'm going on Year 8 of my career; I'm ready to win now."

Cardinals players all seem to support Johnson's arrival, suggesting it only further helps them get that much closer to a Super Bowl championship season. "We want to hang banners and put on rings," cornerback Patrick Peterson said.

Even Ellington likes the move, saying, "As many players as we can get in here to help us win a championship, I'm all for it."

Johnson finished with 663 rushing yards last season for a Jets team that went 4-12. He wound up splitting carries with Chris Ivory but led the team with a respectable 4.3 yards-per-carry average. Given that he can also be an explosive pass-receiving threat out of the backfield, Johnson should find Arians' offense to his liking.

But he's more than willing to earn his touches, knowing nothing will be given to him.

"That's cool with me," he said. "When he first called me and we talked, I told BA (Arians), 'I don't want you to promise me anything. I'm willing to come in and work for whatever my role is and whatever you need me to do.' I'm just glad to be back playing football and I'm ready to go.

"Losing a step, I don't see it."

Besides his breakneck speed and ability to catch a football, Johnson is also widely known for his durability. The only time he's missed practices or part of a training camp is when he staged a holdout back in Tennessee.

"There's nobody that can say I don't work hard," he said. "I always work hard — all offseason — and I eat right. I've also got God, No. 1, and I pray all the time. I've just been fortunate I haven't had to miss a game."

Now he just has to win a spot on the roster.

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