Titans running back Chris Johnson was released by the team last week and now the free agent could sign with any NFL team and the Miami Dolphins, NY Jets, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings all could be options, while the St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams could also be in the market for his services.
Johnson was released by the Titans after a long dance that saw Tennessee try and trade him after a down season in 2013 and now he is on the free agent market and can sign wherever he wants. Johnson was being shopped because of his high $8 million salary and the fact that the Titans were not too happy with him and his work ethic over the past couple years and now he is on the market after rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his six seasons with the team. Johnson was likely knocked out by his own success, as he never could reach back close to the heights he reached when he rushed for 2,000 yards as a second year player and that performance is what put him on the map.
Johnson had a career low 3.9 yards per carry last season and while he still remains one of the most explosive players in the NFL, he had a long run of just 30-yards last season. The Titans were frustrated and while they had some inklings of a trade with the NY Jets and San Francisco 49ers, the team opted to release him instead. According to Pro Football Talk, the NY Jets appears to be the team with the most interest in Johnson and this comes after the team also signed Eric Decker this offseason along with Michael Vick.
ESPN.com did a run down with all 32 teams across the league and wrote from low, medium to high about whether they would sign Johnson or not and only two were not in the low category, the Jets and the Rams. The Cowboys would love to add Johnson and his speed to the backfield with DeMarco Murray, but they don't want to shell out too much money and on top of that, the draft is deep at RB this season as well. Names like Carlos Hyde and Tre Mason are available and the team could go in that direction.
The Cardinals are an interesting option and they could sign Johnson to take over for Rashard Mendenhall, who retired to leave the team with Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor as young players in the backfield. The 49ers need some more depth with Frank Gore if Marcus Lattimore can't come back healthy, while the Seattle Seahawks and the Rams also could be fits for Johnson. The Jets appear to be the most likely team to add him, as they have shown consistent interest and they have enough money to sign him if they want to make a deal. The Jets wanted to sign one of the free agent backs, but they opted to grab Decker instead and now they have some weapons on offense finally after getting rid of Mark Sanchez. The Johnson move saved the Titans $4 million.
