Johnson was the workhorse that propelled Bruce Arians’ high octane offense. With Johnson’s brutally aggressive running style, Arians was able to dominate teams with a smash mouth interior running game. The ultimate result was a highly dangerous downfield passing game, that heavily utilized play action passing.
Without Johnson, Arizona’s well-oiled machine lost its steam. Quarterback Carson Palmer ultimately retired after only playing in seven games throughout his final season, and the Cardinals sputtered to an 8-8 record. Now, a returning David Johnson means returning hope in the desert.
The Cardinals have an intriguing quarterback room with journeymen Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon hoping to mentor and groom polarizing rookie quarterback Josh Rosen out of UCLA.