As the Jets get close to training camp, I am going to examine the roster and give you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.
No. 6: Chris Johnson
Last year’s ranking: Unranked (not on team)
Position: Running back
Age: 28
How acquired: Signed as a free agent on April 16
Years left on contract: 2
2014 salary cap figure: $2.8 million
Looking back at 2013: Johnson played most of the season with a torn meniscus, limiting his effectiveness. Even though he was not 100 percent, Johnson still topped 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,077 yards and six touchdowns on 279 carries for the Titans.
The difficult part for Johnson is he will always be compared to what he did early in his career, most notably topping 2,000 yards. It is quite clear he is not that guy anymore, but that does not mean he is not an effective back.
Johnson did not have the ability to break off long runs last year. His longest run of the year was 30 yards and he averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry behind a suspect Tennessee offensive line. He topped the 100-yard mark in just two games. Pro Football Focus has a metric called the “elusive rating,” which measures how backs do independent of their blockers. Johnson ranked 31st out of 32 backs.
Tennessee also threw him the ball out of the backfield. He had 42 receptions for 345 yards and four touchdowns.
The Titans cut Johnson in April, clearing the way for the Jets to grab him.
Outlook for 2014: Ask people around the Jets what they feel like they’re getting in Johnson and the most common phrase you hear is “home run threat.” But is he going to be Barry Bonds or does he only have warning-track power now?
Johnson has a lot of tread on the tire, with 1,742 carries in his career. The Jets are hoping his dip in production last year was just due to the knee injury.
After knee surgery in January, Johnson did not participate in OTAs or minicamp. He has said he expects to be ready for training camp, but I would expect the Jets to be cautious and keep him on a “pitch count” — as Rex Ryan likes to say — with frequent days off.
How the Jets use Johnson will be one of the great subplots of this season. Johnson has never had fewer than 250 carries in a season, but the Jets say they plan on using a committee approach with Johnson, Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell.
If Johnson shows his old form, that committee approach will be thrown out the window. You can count on it. But that is a big “if” and one that could dictate how the Jets season goes.