With David Johnson likely to miss a significant amount of time, the Cardinals must rely on aging quarterback Carson Palmer.
1 Related
Johnson, who spent the previous two years with the Cardinals, likely will assume the featured back role in David Johnson’s absence.
David Johnson was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. He is expected to miss two to three months after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated wrist, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Chris Johnson will likely get most of the carries against the Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis, followed by Kerwynn Williams, Andre Ellington, Elijhaa Penny and D.J. Foster. With each running back having a separate strength, Arizona’s rushing game will likely be by committee instead of relying on one player.
Johnson played in just four games last season before suffering a groin injury that required surgery and sent him to injured reserve. Before he was hurt, he had 25 carries for 95 yards as the primary backup. In 2015, he was the NFL’s third-leading rusher (814 yards) before he fractured his tibia in Week 12.
Before 2015, Johnson had never missed a game because of an injury.
He enters this season with 9,537 rushing yards. He told ESPN this offseason that his goal before he retires is to reach 10,000 yards.
Johnson, who will turn 32 on Sept. 23, re-signed with Arizona the day before training camp started, with the understanding that his role would expand compared to last season. Fumbling issues in training camp helped lead to Arizona releasing him before Week 1.
Johnson earned the nickname CJ2K after he rushed for 2,009 yards in 2009, when he played for the Tennessee Titans.
A Keenan Allen dropped pass stopped a promising drive in the opening quarter. Allen finished with two drops on the day. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it’s the first time in his five-year NFL career that Allen had multiple drops in a game.
Casey Hayward dropped an interception that he could have returned for a score in the first half.
And Joey Bosa jumped offside and stopped playing, resulting in a free play and a 5-yard TD pass to Bennie Fowler III from Trevor Siemian that gave the Broncos an early 7-0 lead.
Anthony Lynn became the first Chargers head coach to not win his debut since Marty Schottenheimer in 2002. Norv Turner and Mike McCoy both won their first games as head coach of the Chargers.
Speaking of McCoy, now the offensive coordinator for the Broncos, the former Chargers head coach had to be smiling after this one, as Denver appeared to be in the Bolts’ huddle at times.
However, the Chargers made things interesting late.
Down 24-7 heading into the fourth quarter, the Chargers used back-to-back turnovers to work their way back into the game.
Rookie Desmond King’s deflection on a pass to Fowler was picked off by safety Adrian Phillips.
The Chargers took over at Denver’s 43-yard line and six plays later, Rivers found Allen for a 5-yard touchdown, cutting Denver’s lead to 24-14.
The Chargers then forced a second straight turnover when linebacker Korey Toomer stripped the ball from Jamaal Charles, with Hayward scooping it up and returning it 11 yards.
With two minutes left, Rivers marched the Chargers into field goal position with the hopes of overtime.
Undrafted rookie Younghoe Koo made the first kick, but the Broncos called timeout before the snap.
On Koo’s second try with five seconds left in the game, his 44-yard attempt was blocked by Shelby Harris, helping the Broncos escape with a win.
Although the Chargers now sit at 0-1, they play their next three games at home at the StubHub Center, beginning on Sunday.
Rivers finished 22-of-33 for 192 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Melvin Gordon totaled 54 rushing yards and Tyrell Williams led the Chargers with seven receptions for 54 yards.
LOS ANGELES — At last, Aaron Donald is back. The Los Angeles Rams’ star defensive tackle ended his holdout Saturday and passed his physical. He will not play in Sunday’s regular-season opener, and he still doesn’t have the contract extension he seeks. But he’s here, and that is a very important first step. I’ll try to answer some of the key questions regarding his situation.
Aaron Donald has been ruled out for Sunday’s Rams opener but could see the field in Week 2. Kevin Reece/Icon Sportswire
What is his roster situation?
The Rams sought a roster exemption for Donald, which is typical under these circumstances. It allows them to place Donald on the active roster — and thus ensure he gets paid for that game — without having to cut another player to get back down to 53. They’ll make that decision after Sunday’s game, and my guess is that it will be a center who gets cut. The Rams have four right now. Donald was previously on the reserve/did not report list.
What about his fines and compensation?
Donald was fined $40,000 for each day he did not report during training camp and the preseason, adding up to somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.4 million. But as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, the Rams waived those fines. Pro Football Talk also reported that Donald will not lose any of his signing-bonus money. If his holdout would’ve lingered beyond Sunday’s 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff, Donald would not have been paid one of his 17 game checks (players are paid during their bye weeks). Donald’s base salary this year is $1,802,250, so he would have lost out on a little more than $106,000.
Tough to say right now. There’s little doubt on the Rams’ side that Donald stayed in shape while working out in Pittsburgh, but strapping on the pads and repeatedly taking hits along the interior is completely different. They’ll know more during practice this coming week, and they won’t rush him. If they’re confident he’s ready to play Week 2 against Washington, great. If they have to wait until Week 3 (the following Thursday in San Francisco) or Week 4 (Oct. 1 in Dallas), they’ll be fine with that, too. The Rams — and, clearly, Donald — are looking long term here.
Does this mean they’re close to a deal?
Not necessarily. Donald’s showing up doesn’t mean there has been a major breakthrough in negotiations. There really hasn’t been. The 26-year-old wanted to be back around his teammates, and, of course, he didn’t want to miss a paycheck. The Rams’ front office traveled to Atlanta the day before the final preseason game to meet with Donald’s representatives at CAA, but they didn’t really make much progress. They just want to keep the conversations going. I presume they will continue.
What’s the holdup?
It has been pretty clear to me that the Rams understand if they’re going to give Donald an extension, they basically need to make him the game’s highest-paid defensive player. J.J. Watt is the best comparison in this situation, because he was considered the game’s best defensive player when he signed his extension (with the Texans in 2014) and because he had completed only three NFL seasons by then. Watt’s deal ultimately made him the game’s highest-paid defensive player. There’s no reason Donald wouldn’t believe he’s worthy of that, too, particularly when you consider that the top earner at his position, Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, is very nearly the game’s highest-paid defensive player.
More people play on ESPN than anywhere else. Join or create a league in the No. 1 Fantasy Football game! Sign up for free!
With that being the case, I would have to think it comes down to either ensuring that Donald is the highest-paid defensive player for a while — which might mean blowing past the Von Miller deal, which includes $70 million guaranteed — or giving him as much of his guaranteed money as possible up front. That could be a little tough. The Rams have only about $4.5 million in salary-cap space, according to ESPN’s Roster Management System. They can restructure player contracts to open up more room, usually by turning base salaries into signing bonuses that are prorated over the length of a contract. But the Rams don’t like doing that. They like minimizing what they prorate to maximize their salary-cap flexibility.
The best bet would probably be to give Donald a big chunk of his guaranteed money as a roster bonus that would be paid next spring. But what if Donald suffers a devastating injury before then? Maybe that’s a concern on his side. Keep in mind: These are assumptions; I am not privy to what has been offered and what has been asked.
How does the defense look with and without him?
With Donald out, the Rams will start rookie Tanzel Smart at the 3-technique spot, alongside nose tackle Michael Brockers and defensive end Ethan Westbrooks. Smart is a sixth-round pick out of Tulane. Veteran offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, who blocks Smart every day in practice, said Smart has “outrageous potential.” But he is also raw and a bit undersized. The Rams are fully healthy now. And when Donald returns, they should look very good on defense, especially in their front seven, with Robert Quinn, Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron and Connor Barwin making up a strong linebacking corps. ESPN’s Football Power Index ranks the Rams defense 14th heading into the year, but Wade Phillips can do better than that.
