Rex Ryan wasn’t made available to say how smart the Jets were to acquire Chris Johnson this offseason. The locker room availability on Thursday afternoon at the Jets training facility in Florham Park, NJ, was limited to players who made themselves available to the media. The head coach was given the day off.
Otherwise, Ryan surely would have boasted about the steal of the offseason, or at least that’s how Johnson can be viewed as of now. If he can stay healthy, the former Titans running back who rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009 figures to be the secret weapon that makes life easier for Geno Smith or Michael Vick.
The Jets had success squeezing out some decent final years from future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson and hope to do the same with Johnson, 28, who signed a two-year free-agent deal. He was released by the Titans after rushing for 1,077 yards and a career-low 3.9 yards per carry in 2013. He underwent meniscus surgery after the season, and the rehab will continue through the start of training camp. He isn’t expected to be on the field for any of the OTAs.
“I have time on my side,” he said. “I’ll be ready for camp.”
There were whispers in Tennessee about Johnson’s work ethic, even though he tore the meniscus in his right knee in Week 3 and played through the injury. Payback for being kicked out the door could come on Dec. 14 when the Jets play at Tennessee.
“I’m feeling good right now, getting better and better every day,” Johnson said on Thursday. “This week I started being able to do straight-ahead running and stuff. The knee is feeling good and it’s getting better. It’s close to 100 percent.”
That’s good news for the Jets. Though the emergence of an established starting quarterback figures to be the top story of the upcoming season, Johnson’s impact could be the most critical. Smith never had much of a Plan B last year. His receiving corps was terrible, and his running backs were one-dimensional and often injured.
Enter Johnson.
The ideal plan is for the Jets to overwhelm opponents by offering the power running of Chris Ivory, the sudden impact of Bilal Powell and Johnson’s breakaway speed. If offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg can figure out ways to consistently get Johnson the ball in open space, then Johnson could wind up having the most important touches on the team.
“All those guys [are good],” Johnson said. “I knew the situation coming in, and we’re going to work together. Everybody’s goal is to put wins on the board. We’re not really worried about the carries or who’s going to play this down and that down. We’ve all just got one focus, and that’s winning.”
Johnson said he hasn’t absorbed the playbook yet. But his general goal is to simply “try to make plays. Don’t try to look good or try to always make the big run. Just go in here and try to make plays”.
He has been so good for so long it seems as if Johnson should be older than 28. But he arrives with plenty of mileage. He has gained 7,965 yards on 1,742 career carries and leads the league in most touches from scrimmage since 2009. Critics point to his declining numbers over the past three seasons. Yet he is the only running back not to miss a regular-season game over the past five years.
Johnson said he is happy to have “a fresh start” and views the Jets as a team with enough potential to reach the postseason. Hey, it’s May.
“I think this team is right on the edge of winning and making the playoffs,” he said. “I’ve been in the league six years and I’ve only been to the playoffs once. That’s something that a guy of my caliber would look towards, and that’s winning and playing in late December and January, and hopefully trying to make it to the big game.”
Rex Ryan couldn’t have said it better.