Jets running back Chris Johnson thinks he’s capable of another 2,000-yard season in 2014, but it doesn’t sound like the Jets have the same plans for a back who was limited this offseason after having knee surgery.
Jets running backs coach Anthony Lynn said that he liked the mix between Johnson, the power running of Chris Ivory and the little bit of everything provided by Bilal Powell while saying that the Jets are planning to deploy Johnson in spots to take full advantage of his skills.
“He’s got some miles on him,” Lynn said, via NJ.com. “So we’re going to have to be strategic in how we use him, and when we use him, to keep him fresh so that he can be the explosive guy that I know that he can be.”
That runs a bit counter to Lynn’s previous comments that Johnson “can have as many yards as he wants” this season, but even that proclamation came with the caveat that Johnson would be splitting time and would have to earn more time than the other backs by showing that he was clearly the best option for the running game. Even that might not happen if the Jets feel limited doses of playing time leaves Johnson likelier to rip off big runs when he does get on the field.