David Johnson’s $9.75 million cap number this season is the highest at his position in the entire league. Yet, he no longer even is a starter on his own team.
In fact, he hardly has played since the Cardinals acquired Kenyan Drake.
Now, with Chase Edmonds returning from an injury, Johnson’s role is even more cloudy.
“It’s obviously been hard,” Johnson said, via Kyle Odegard of the team website. “In the past, I was in the majority of the snaps. It’s been rough. I’ve just got to move past it and make the most of every opportunity.”
Since returning from an ankle injury that kept him out in Week Nine against the 49ers, Johnson has played 36 snaps in two games and has six touches for 10 yards and a fumble.
In the Cardinals’ most recent game, Johnson played nine snaps and got no touches.
Johnson talked to the coaches but said he received no clarification on his role.
Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim said “who knows” when asked on his radio show on 98.7 FM whether the team had enough snaps for Drake, Edmonds and Johnson, adding, “Maybe we’ll get all three on the field at one time. . . . We’ll see if we can go with the Four Horsemen approach.”
Johnson, who turns 28 next month, earned All-Pro honors in 2016. A wrist injury limited him to one game in 2017, and he averaged only 3.6 yards in 16 games last season.
Johnson believes he is the same player he was in 2016.
“If you’re any football player, they all want to be on the field as much as possible,” Johnson said. “It’s rough, but it’s football. There’s always adversity. It’s really just how you handle it.”