David Johnson has had a disappointing season for the Arizona Cardinals this year, but he now has a new offensive coordinator who will attempt to turn things around.
Mike McCoy was fired as Arizona’s offensive coordinator the day after his team’s disastrous 45-10 loss at home to Denver last week. Byron Leftwich was promoted to offensive coordinator. On Thursday, Leftwich said he will try to utilize Johnson in the same way former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians did.
Leftwich on what he will take from Bruce Arians' usage of David Johnson: "Everything. I sat shoulder-to-shoulder with B.A. every day I was here. There have been a lot of long nights sitting next to him, us nodding off together."
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) October 25, 2018
Under Arians, Johnson had over 1,000 total yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie. He then blew up with 20 touchdowns and over 2,100 combined yards in 2016. This season with McCoy as offensive coordinator, Johnson has averaged just 71.6 total yards per game compared to 132.3 in 2016.
McCoy’s usage of Johnson was widely criticized. He tended to run Johnson up the middle rather than put him in space where he blossomed under Arians. If Leftwich uses Johnson similarly, maybe he can get back to being the top weapon he was in 2016.
