Chris Johnson
Teams
Tennessee Titans (2008-2013)
New York Jets (2014)
Arizona Cardinals (2015-2017)
Playoffs
Appearances - 2 (2008,2015)
Conf Champ Games - 1 (2015)
Super Bowls - 0
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
Offensive Player of the Year - 1 (2009)
All-Pro First Team - 1 (2009)
Pro Bowl - 3 (2008,2009,2010)
All-Time Ranks
Rushing Yards per Game - #26
Rushing Yards - #35
Yards per Rush - #49
Rushing Touchdowns - #65
Scrimmage Yards - #68
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-2009, #4-2010, #8-2008, #9-2012)
Rushing Touchdowns (#3-2009, #6-2010)
Yards per Rush (#3-2009, #4-2008)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-2009, #6-2015, #7-2010, #8-2008, #9-2012)
Total Touchdowns (#2-2009, #7-2010)
Scrimmage Yards (#1-2009, #10-2008)
Yards per Touch (#10-2009)
After a monster senior season at East Carolina, where he finished with 2960 total yards and 24 touchdowns, then set a new record in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, Chris Johnson was picked by the Tennessee Titans with the 24th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, and his impact in the league was immediate.
Despite splitting time in the backfield as a rookie with LenDale White, Johnson racked up 1228 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns, which earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl and caused him to finish as runner-up in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, behind Matt Ryan.
The next season he had one of the best seasons of any back in recent memory. He rushed for 2006 yards, making him only the sixth player to eclipse 2000 in a season, and he led the league in rushing yards, scrimmage yards, and yards per game, and was named to the All-Pro First Team and won Offensive Player of the Year. His 2509 scrimmage yards that season is still the record for a season, a record he took from Marshall Faulk.
He was still good enough the next year to earn a third straight trip to the Pro Bowl, finishing the season with 1364 rushing yards, but he was far less efficient than the year before, with his yards per carry dropping from 5.6 to 4.3, and that number would continue to drop for most of the rest of his career.
He continued to pile up yardage for the next few years with Tennessee, gaining at least 1000 on the ground in all 6 seasons he spent with the Titans. After watching his production slip slowly over 5 seasons, the Titans released Johnson after the 2013 season.
He signed with the New York Jets as a free agent for the 2014 season, but after gaining only 663 yards that year, the team decided to let him go as well. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals the following year, and produced 814 yards before breaking his tibia late in the season, and that basically spelled the end of his career. He played only 8 games in his final 2 seasons with the Cardinals before retiring.
Like many running backs, Johnson was great early in his career, then saw his production drop off after wear and tear and injuries slowed him down. Even with a relatively short peak, his 2009 season is still one of the greatest ever, and he should be remembered as one of the best running backs of all time.
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