Comeback Player of the Year
Arizona Cardinals Running Back Chris Johnson
Who else is better for this award? The man who was once known as “CJ2K” for eclipsing the 2,000 rushing yard mark back in 2009, is starting to make spectators reminisce.
After the historical ’09 season, Johnson’s production started to decline. He wasn’t making defenders miss or getting into the open field anymore, ending in the Tennessee Titans cutting him after the 2013 season. Johnson then signed with the New York Jets, and again had an unproductive season, resulting in the team declining his contract, making “CJ2K” a free agent once more.
In March of 2015, Johnson’s life, was put in jeopardy.
A drive-by shooting took place at a Florida stoplight leaving a bullet in Johnson’s left shoulder and resulting in the death of his friend. After the incidents Johnson didn’t know what his NFL future would hold. He started his road to recovery and Johnson resumed his NFL career with a new team, the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals initially signed Johnson to backup then-starting running back Andre Ellington, but when Ellington went down with a sprained PCL in Week 1, Johnson was forced to take the lead role and be the featured back in a stellar Cardinals’ offense.
Ever since taking the field in Week 1, Johnson hasn’t looked back and remains the starting running back for Arizona. This season, Johnson has compiled 676 rushing yards on 141 attempts, is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and has scored 3 touchdowns. Talk about a come back story.
