Chris Johnson does not have to look far for inspiration this season.
The Jets running back has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his six professional seasons. He is one of only seven men to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a season. He is only 28 years old.
But the Titans, the only team he ever played for, kicked him to the curb in April, releasing him rather than paying him the $8 million he was scheduled to make this year.
The Jets signed him 12 days later, and Johnson arrived determined to show he can still play.
“Of course I have a chip on my shoulder,” Johnson said last month in the Jets locker room. “It gives me more motivation to continue to work hard and come here and be that guy I’ve been my whole career. I want to prove [the Titans] wrong. They released me and I want to let them know they made a mistake.”
Johnson played most of last season with a torn meniscus in his left knee, which required surgery in January. Still, he rushed for 1,077 yards and six touchdowns.
He had the knee fixed and expects to be at full strength for the start of training camp. He looked at the Jets and saw a chance to play on a team with a strong defense.
What does Johnson feel he can provide?
“Basically a home-run threat, and just come in here and make some plays,” he said. “We’ve got a great defense. Those guys stop the opposing offense a lot. Any time you have a good defense like that and you can get a running game going and get some playmakers making plays on offense, it makes that team very tough to beat.”
How productive Johnson can be this season will dictate a lot for the Jets. If he is anywhere close to his old self, he can take pressure off quarterback Geno Smith and allow the Jets to control games with their rushing attack, as Rex Ryan likes to do.
The Jets had a decent rushing attack last season, finishing sixth in the NFL. But the team felt like something was missing.
“We felt like we needed some explosiveness,” running backs coach Anthony Lynn said. “We had good depth. We like our guys, but we wanted to add more speed to the offense in general. Chris Johnson became available and that became an opportunity for us to get our hands on him. I’m sure he’s not the Chris Johnson that rushed for 2,000 yards four years ago, but he’s still pretty damn fast. I’m looking forward to see what he can do.”
It will be Lynn’s job, along with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, to figure out how to divide the carries among Johnson, Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell.
Johnson has never had fewer than 250 carries in a season. How will he react if that number drops drastically?
“A lot of times when you go through it, the cream rises to the top and it sorts itself out,” Lynn said. “These guys know I’m going to play the hot guy. We’re going to play the hot guy. If a guy goes in, regardless of who it is, and he’s rolling, we’ll let him roll. All of them will have a role. It will be done by committee.”
Johnson could push that committee aside if he regains his old form.
“I’ve played against him in the past and he’s a game-breaker,” guard Willie Colon said. “He’s a home-run back. He’s one of those guys that if you give him a little, he’ll take care of the rest. His speed alone is amazing. Just what he can do when he’s in space is a threat. He’s a threat we needed. There’s no question about that. Whatever he has in the tank, we’ll take it.”