Cardinals coach Steve Wilks gave running back David Johnson a rave review for his work on the first day of OTAs on Tuesday and it’s hard to blame the exuberance given how important Johnson is to Wilks’ chances of success in his first year on the job.
Johnson gave a positive review of his own on Tuesday. Wilks and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy have plotted a different course than Arizona followed when Bruce Arians was in charge and one of their changes is to involve a fullback in the offense. Derrick Coleman was signed as a free agent this offseason and Johnson said he likes the idea of running behind him in the future.
“It’s nice always having more blockers in the run game,” Johnson said, via AZCentral.com. “I think it makes my job a little easier, having those guys being able to pick up linebackers, D-ends or anybody on that defensive side. It makes my read a little bit easier.”
The Cardinals figure to use Johnson in a variety of ways this season so we’ll see how much he actually does wind up running behind a fullback, but the presence of one on the roster is a reminder that Johnson’s returning to a different team than the one he last played for in Week One of the 2017 season.