GLENDALE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said running back Chris Johnson took a physical with the team on Monday but that it was up to general manager Steve Keim and Johnson’s agent whether a contract would follow.
Johnson, who turns 30 next month, played last year with the New York Jets after spending his first six NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
Adding the three-time Pro Bowl player would give the team a veteran back behind Andre Ellington, the starter who also lines up as a receiver.
Rookie running back David Johnson, a third-round draft pick out of Northern Iowa, has been out with a hamstring injury since the second day of training camp but returned to practice this week.
“He’ll be limited today,” Arians said before the team practice on Monday, “and hopefully we’ll gradually work him in full-time by the game.”
Ellington, slowed by an injured foot last season, also was out with a hamstring injury most of camp before returning to practice last week. He had a 57-yard catch from Carson Palmer early in the Cardinals’ 34-19 loss to Kansas City in their preseason opener on Saturday night but was caught from behind at the Chiefs’ five-yard line.
“It’s just a matter of getting in shape,” Arians said. “He was probably a little afraid to open up totally, but it was good to see him out there.”
Ellington, along with the rest of the Arizona first unit, played only the opening series, gaining three yards in three carries, including a two-yard touchdown run.
Arians joked that if the team does sign Chris Johnson “we might have the best hair backfield going.”
The coach was referring to the long locks of Chris Johnson, Ellington and Robert Hughes.
Asked if the prospective signing of Chris Johnson gave a push to the return of the two backs with hamstring problems, “I don’t think Andre needed one.”
“We’ll see with David,” Arians said. “He’s so young that he probably doesn’t know who Chris Johnson is.”
Chris Johnson, a first-round draft pick (24th overall) out of East Carolina in 2008, rushed for a career-low 663 yards with the Jets after topping 1,000 in each of his seasons with the Titans. Johnson rushed for a career-best 2,006 yards in 2009. He also has been a prolific receiver out of the backfield, topping 40 catches in a season five times although that dropped to a career-low 24 last season.
Johnson has recovered from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. He was injured when someone opened fire on the vehicle in which he was riding in Orlando, Florida, on March 8. The shooting killed the driver and wounded another passenger.
Arians said the other Arizona running backs who played against the Chiefs “played pretty solid.”
“I thought Kerwynn (Williams) ran hard,” Arians said. “He made a couple of people miss like he always does. I thought Stepfan (Taylor) ran hard, Robert Hughes ran hard.”
Notes: Arians said safety Brandon Person, an undrafted rookie from Tiffin, tore an ACL against the Chiefs. … Arians said the first team will play the entire first quarter Saturday night against San Diego.
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