Ranking the top five running backs in the Seahawks’ NFC West

David Johnson – Cardinals

Johnson will never be the back he was in 2016. In his second season, Johnson had 2,118 total yards from scrimmage, caught 80 passes and scored 20 touchdowns. Most likely, he was so overused that season that his long-term production was hindered.

Johnson missed nearly all of 2017 but came back in 2018 and played in all 16 games. He got 308 touches, 65 less than in 2016. But he had over 700 yards less than he did in 2016. The problem was that Johnson was playing behind a bad offensive line.

Johnson’s line in 2019 won’t be much better. But his is clearly the best back on the Arizona Cardinals. He will be used a ton again. The good thing for Johnson is he has a new coach who might know best how to use his skills.

In college, Kliff Kingsbury threw the ball a lot and had imaginative alignments. Kingsbury also used his running backs in unusual ways too, though. While Kingsbury is new to the NFL, his offensive ideas should still work to some degree. Kingsbury will improve the Cardinals offense, and therefore Johnson should be better in 2019 too. This is why Johnson is still the fourth best running back in the NFC West.