CORTLAND — The Jets offense looked a whole lot faster Thursday as speedy running back Chris Johnson practiced fully with the team for the first time.
Johnson had been sidelined this spring after undergoing surgery on his right knee following last season. The Jets signed Johnson in April to a two-year, $8 million contract, hoping he could give their offense a new dimension.
The 28-year-old looked to be at full strength Thursday and he practiced without any restrictions.
“I felt good,” Johnson said. “I felt no pain or anything like that.”
Johnson played most of last season for Tennessee with a torn meniscus. He still managed to rush for 1,077 yards and six touchdowns. The Jets don’t expect Johnson to recapture his 2009 form, when he rushed for more than 2,000 yards, but they would be thrilled to get 1,000 yards out of him after not having a 1,000-yard rusher last season.
The most interesting part of Johnson’s day was how the Jets utilized him. They put him in motion and flexed him out as a wide receiver quite a few times, perhaps showing one of their plans for him.
“Having that kind of game-breaker out of the backfield certainly will get your attention,” coach Rex Ryan said. “The kid at Buffalo, [C.J.] Spiller, is one of those guys that has that kind of speed. Chris, obviously, your antenna is up every time he comes out of that backfield. If he motions out, the DBs know, like wait a second, here’s a 4.2. You’ll approach him differently than you would most halfbacks.”
Johnson has 272 catches over his six seasons. He said he has been used as a receiver by the Titans and even in college.
“I’m ready to go do whatever they ask me to do,” he said.
Wide receiver David Nelson said having Johnson running pass patterns will open things up for other receivers. With Johnson’s speed, defenses have to pay attention to him.
“When you see Chris Johnson in the flat, they’re going to have to be mindful of that,” Nelson said. “They’re going to have to jump to that. When they do that, it opens up a lot of spaces and a lot of spots in the middle of the field. If they don’t, he’s going to take it to the house. It opens up a whole different dimension for us, especially in the passing game.”