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Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson had one of his worst games as a pro last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had only six touches, carrying the ball five times for two yards and catching one pass for eight yards. He also had a critical second-half fumble that led to his being benched.
How did he respond this week as the team prepared to take on the San Francisco 49ers?
“He’s responded well,” coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters Friday. “He’s had the best week of practice he’s had and I’ve been proud of his effort and his focus. I like where his head is at.”
However, playing time isn’t just going to go back to his being the workhorse. He and Kenyan Drake will both play and share snaps.
“It will be by committee,” Kingsbury explained. “Both guys will have packages and do certain things and we’ve talked to them about that.”
Last week, against the Buccaneers, both were in the starting lineup, lined up beside one another in the backfield. If that doesn’t happen, it looks like Drake will technically get the start. ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss noticed that Drake was out on the field during practice when the presumed starters were getting reps, while Johnson followed with the next personnel grouping.
It looked like at pratice that Kenyan Drake has jumped David Johnson on the depth chart. Drake ran receiving drills with first-team WRs (Fitz, Kirk, Isabella and Cooper). Johnson was with next group.
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) November 15, 2019
However, Kingsbury doesn’t really believe that have the starting designation matters much. “We change personnel groups a ton,” he said.
It sounds like there might not be as much of both on the field at the same time. We will see how the snaps get divided up this weekend. Will Johnson become a complementary back for the first time since his rookie season?
It is one of the storylines to watch as the game unfolds Sunday afternoon.
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