RUN IT BACK
How David Johnson's redemption tour with the Texans could impact Week 1
Sep 9, 2020, 10:21 am
Photo Courtesy of the Houston Texans
Dressed in full pads, David Johnson's 2019 season ended with him watching his Arizona Cardinals succumb to the Los Angeles Rams in a Week 17 defeat. For two teams who were headed straight to Cancún at the conclusion of the final whistle, the Rams last home game inside Coliseum Field held the only significant meaning to the contest. Three months later, the game would hold another.
After he did not receive a single carry during the 31-24 loss to Los Angeles, the Cardinals cut ties with Johnson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans in March. Arizona sent the 28-year-old tailback and two draft picks to Houston in exchange for All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round pick.
In hindsight, the Cardinals' decision to part ways with Johnson was an inevitable choice.
He lost his starting spot to Kenyan Drake mid-way through the season and ended the year with 47 yards (2.6 AVG) on 18 attempts in his final six games in Arizona. October 13 marked the last time Johnson received more than 12 carries, during a Week 6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Perhaps a change of scenery is what Johnson needs to reclaim his role as one of the league's best running backs. Injuries and lack of production since his All-Pro performance in 2016 resulted in little to no fanfare with his arrival in Houston. And a season playing behind the fourth-worst run-blocking line, per Pro Football Focus, did not help Johnson ease what he described as the "most frustrated year of his career."
Determined to "prove the doubters wrong," Johnson's road to redemption has a chance to get off to an exceptional start, when the Texans open their 2020 season against the Chiefs, Thursday night, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
"I think I've always had pressure since 2016," Johnson told a group of reporters via Zoom conference in early-August. I like the pressure. It makes me want to be better. It makes me want to compete more and do everything I can to prove the doubters [wrong] or want to make [Bill] O'Brien look good and want to make this organization look good. I'm excited about this season, and I can't wait for it to officially get going."
I asked coach O'Brien about his thoughts on David Johnson going into the season: "He's an excellent football player… https://t.co/NRM0mwlQsn— Coty M. Davis (@Coty M. Davis) 1599590460.0
The one major flaw that has hindered the Chiefs from becoming a perfect team is their inability to stop the run. Last season, Kansas City gave up a total of 2,051 rushing yard (128.2 YDS) — seventh-most in the league. Ten times the Chiefs allowed their opponents to rush over 100 yards during the regular season — which included the Texans, who recorded 192 yards during their Week 6 victory in Kansas City. Carlos Hyde — whose production Johnson can emulate playing in Houston's system — led the way with 116 yards on 26 carries.
Although it's still a daunting task, it's no secret that the best way to beat the Chiefs is by attacking them on the ground. Houston's Offensive Coordinator, Tim Kelly, said on Sunday that if they need to run the ball to win the game, then they have the ability to do that. Based on Kelly's statement, Johnson will play an integral part in Houston's attempt to exploit Kansas City's Achilles heel in his Texans debut.
"He's a special back," Texans' center Nick Martin said. "There's no doubt about it. He's so big, but he finds a hole and he hits it hard and he finds a way to somehow get skinny through that hole and burst out. We're very excited to have him behind us and block for him and finish and let him really just do his thing back there."
Even in a down year, Johnson proved he can still be a productive player coming out of the backfield when given a consistent amount of touches. In his best game of the season, DJ recorded a season-high 91 rushing yards in the Cardinals' 26-23 victory over the Bengals.
The video clip above demonstrates that Johnson still possesses the same explosiveness that led to his first 1,000-yard season (1,239) in 2016. It's the prime example of what the Texans can expect from DJ when given a suitable amount of touches. On this particular Sunday afternoon, Johnson received 17 touches — his second-most of the 2019 season.
The Chiefs have already experienced their fair share of struggles playing against the Memphis native. Despite a Cardinals' loss in 2018, Johnson ran for 98 yards and a touchdown on just 21 carries. A duplicate performance on Thursday would not only improve the Texans' chances of opening their season with a win, but a successful first stop on the David Johnson Redemption World Tour.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.