Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #80: Essex Johnson

Essex Johnson

Teams

Cincinnati Bengals (1968-1975)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1976)

Playoffs

Appearances - 3 (1970,1973,1975)

Conf Champ Games - 0

Super Bowls - 0

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-Time Ranks

Yards per Touch - #90

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#6-1973)

Yards per Rush (#6-1973)

Rushing Yards per Game (#9-1973)

Scrimmage Yards (#5-1973, #8-1972)

Yards per Touch (#1-1971, #2-1973)

After leading Grambling State to 3 consecutive SWAC titles as a defensive back, Essex Johnson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 6th round of the 1968 combined AFL/NFL Draft, then was converted to halfback as a pro.

In his rookie season, he didn't play much, but he was very efficient when he did, averaging 6.8 yards per carry and scoring 3 touchdowns on only 26 attempts. His playing time and efficiency both dropped in his second season, but his usage started to rise in his third season, and continued for the next several years.

He averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 1971, and led the league with 7.9 yards per touch, including an 86 yard rush, the longest in the league that season. His play that season finally earned him the starting position in 1972, his 5th season in the league.

In his first season as a starter, he amassed 1245 scrimmage yards, then improved upon that in 1973, gaining 997 on the ground and 356 through the air for 1353 total yards. He also finished second in the league that year with 6.1 yards per touch in what would end up being his best season, and his final effective season.

He played in only 5 games the next season due to a knee injury, and it ended up requiring 2 surgeries. Upon his return, he was not the efficient runner he had been before, never averaging over 3.5 yards per carry again. He was released by the Bengals after the 1975 season, then picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1976 Expansion Draft, but after one mediocre and winless season, he retired from football.

Johnson was never selected to the Pro Bowl, and was never a household name, but for a few seasons in Cincinnati, he was a machine known as the Essex Express. His 7.9 yards per touch were by far the most in the league in 1971, and he was the Bengals all-time leader rusher until 1981, and is an underappreciated all-time great.