ARIZONA CARDINALS

Could Chris Johnson be the RB solution for Cardinals?

Oct 10, 2012, 4:33 PM | Updated: 5:48 pm

It’s no secret that the Arizona Cardinals are thin at the running back position.

Beanie Wells is on the shelf with a turf toe injury until at least Thanksgiving, and Ryan Williams is out for the year after suffering a shoulder injury in last Thursday’s loss to the St. Louis Rams.

That leaves LaRod Stephens-Howling, who has spent most of his career as a third down back, and the unproven William Powell and Alfonso Smith as options for head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

Nobody would blame Arizona brass for going out and searching for running backs either through trade or free agent signings at this point. And while some interesting names have surfaced this week, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is offering up the most interesting name of all — Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans.

Johnson became only the sixth player in league history to eclipse the 2,000-yard barrier in a single season when he ran for 2,006 in 2009. But since then, his output has waned. The three-time Pro Bowler ran for 1,364 in 2010 and just 1,047 last season.

In four games this season, Johnson has run for just 210 yards on 73 carries. The fifth-year pro out of East Carolina is on pace for just 672 yards this year.

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Could Chris Johnson be the RB solution for Cardinals?