The Tennessee Titans enter the 2019 with a focus on continuing success in the ground game.
To accomplish this, recently promoted offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will largely rely on the efforts of former Alabama rusher Derrick Henry, who should still be hot off of his momentum from the tail-end of 2018.
But Henry isn’t the only running back to ever make his name known in Tennessee.
The Touchdown Wire recently ranked the NFL’s rushing leaders from every year since 2000.
Analyst Barry Werner ranked former Titans running back Chris Johnson’s 2009 season No. 6 overall.
“Chris Johnson was the Titan of the Tennessee backfield and NFL, rushing for 2,006 yards in his second season,” he wrote. “The running back averaged 5.6 ypc, scored 14 TDs and made 79 first downs.”
Johnson was drafted by the Titans at No. 24 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. The pick made him the highest East Carolina player to be selected since linebacker Robert Jones was taken at No. 24 in the 1992 NFL Draft.
Johnson spent six seasons with the Titans, where he acquired the nickname “CJ2K,” before having stints with the New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals.
He signed a one-day contract in April to retire as a Titan.
Over a 10-season career, Johnson carried 2,163 times for 9,651 yards and 55 touchdowns over 130 games.
Werner placed Adrian Peterson’s 2012 season first on the list.
“Adrian Peterson picked up the middle of his trifecta of crowns with a fantatic 2,097-yard season,” he wrote. “How about gaining 6.1 yards per carry? Peterson scored 12 TDs, averaged 131 yards per game and made 85 first downs.”
