Reports: Jay Ajayi among 3 RBs to work out for Cardinals

Oct 21, 2019, 8:49 AM | Updated: 11:42 am

Jay Ajayi, left, and Spencer Ware, right, will work out for the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

As running back David Johnson nurses an ankle injury that limited him to a handful of snaps Sunday against the New York Giants, the Arizona Cardinals will work out veterans Jay Ajayi, Spencer Ware and Benny Cunningham on Tuesday, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Ajayi is already in Arizona to take a physical, reports Rapoport, who adds that the running back’s visit could “result in a signing if all goes well.”

The workouts come after the Cardinals entered their Week 7 matchup with one healthy running back in backup Chase Edmonds. While he rushed 27 times for 126 yards and three touchdowns, the starter, Johnson, took a carry for two yards.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters after the road game that Johnson was only active for “need-based” reasons.

That’s because Arizona lost third-string running back D.J. Foster to a hamstring injury heading into the Giants game. Any lingering issue with Johnson’s or Foster’s respective recoveries puts the team in a difficult spot if Edmonds were to sustain an injury.

Ajayi, 26, most recently played for the Philadelphia Eagles but tore his ACL in October 2018, finishing the season with 184 rushing yards and three touchdowns in four games played.

The 2015 fifth-round pick has appeared in more than nine games just once over his five NFL seasons. In 2016 as a Miami Dolphin, he rushed for 1,272 yards with eight touchdowns in 15 games.

Ware, 27, appeared in 13 games for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, rushing for 246 yards on 4.8 yards per carry. His most productive season came in 2016, where he carried the ball 214 times for 921 yards and three scores.

This offseason, Ware signed with the Indianapolis Colts but was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list in August after he underwent ankle surgery. The Colts released him in September.

The 29-year-old Cunningham has 797 career rushing yards between tenures with the Rams (2013-16) and Bears (2017-18)