The Pulse: Andre Ellington will be Arizona Cardinals’ top back in 2015
May 18, 2015, 12:11 PM | Updated: 12:11 pm
Andre Ellington burst onto the scene in 2013, going from a relatively unknown sixth-round pick out of Clemson to one of the draft class’ best players.
As a rookie he ran for 652 yards and three touchdowns on just 118 carries, while catching 39 passes for 371 yards and one score.
Ellington’s first season was so impressive, in fact, that the Cardinals went into 2014 looking to build their offense around him.
Unfortunately, injuries really hampered the 5-foot-9, 199-pound Ellington, as he was mostly inconsistent in the 12 games he appeared in. The second-year pro ran for 660 yards and three scores on 201 carries, and added 46 catches for 395 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
His struggles led to an offseason filled with rumors about the team looking to add another runner, with some even thinking the team would try and pursue Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson.
That did not happen, though. Instead, Arizona used its third-round draft pick on Northern Iowa’s David Johnson. Though viewed as three-down back, the rookie could be viewed as a compliment more than a replacement for Ellington.
That seems to be how our readers feel about the pick, too.
In our Sanderson Ford Poll Question of the Day, which can be found on the right-hand column of ArizonaSports.com, we asked who would lead the Cardinals in rushing in 2015.
A total of 847 votes were submitted, and though not be an overwhelming margin, Ellington earned the top spot with 393 votes, or 46 percent.
Johnson came in second with 317 votes (37 percent), with former Arizona State star Marion Grice coming in third.
