Next up in our position previews for training camp for the Arizona Cardinals are the running backs. What is there to know about the group? Who are the players on the roster and what questions are there? What roster battles will there be?
Here is a look at the position as camp starts next week.
The players
- David Johnson enters his fifth season in the league and with the team.
- Chase Edmonds enters his second year in the league and with the team.
- D.J. Foster enters his fourth year in the league and his third with the team.
- T.J. Logan enters his third year in the league and with the team.
- Wes Hills is an undrafted rookie out of Slippery Rock.
- Dontae Strickland is an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse.
- Xavier Turner is an undrafted rookie out of Tarleton State.
The questions
With a new offense known for its prolific passing stats, one question there is for the team is how much will the running back matter? Will they run the ball a lot or not?
However, the biggest question is about David Johnson. Fans remember his 2016 season, which was special. That was also three years ago. 2017 was lost to an injury and he was perfectly okay in 2018, rushing for 940 yards. There was nothing special about his play.
Can he return to being special? After all, that is why he was given a lucrative long-term contract.
Will the running backs be used a lot in the passing game?
Can D.J. Foster come back from his ACL injury?
The expectations
Expectations begin and end with David Johnson’s play. They do like Chase Edmonds and he is expected to have nice role but Johnson should be able to produce around 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
The roster battles
It would appear two players are locked in — Johnson and Chase Edmonds. After that, everyone else is scrambling. There are likely two other spots on the roster for running backs and five guys battling for them.
Foster and Logan could be the favorites. Both can return kicks and Foster can do a lot of things in the passing game and as a blocker. However, both were acquired before Kliff Kingsbury was coach so the door is open for one of the undrafted rookies (Hills, Strickland, Turner) to make the team.
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