According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson belongs on his “perfect roster.”
Barnwell explains that Johnson is comparable to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, but without the $12.1 million paycheck.
In comparison to Bell’s massive one-year contract, Johnson and the Cardinals agreed to a four-year contract after he was drafted in 2015. The total amount was just under $3 million and Johnson will enter free agency in 2019.
Aside from Johnson’s pure athleticism, which Barnwell recognized by comparing him to Bell in the first place, the running back made this utopian roster because of the $615,000 base salary he will make in 2017. Johnson’s 2017 salary will cap out just under $800,000.
The Cardinals star running back had over 2000 yards from scrimmage in the 2016 season, more than both Le’Veon Bell and Dallas Cowboys breakout rookie Ezekiel Elliott. With an extension clearly coming up in his future, Johnson likely won’t make such a roster again.
Johnson was also listed as part of the starting 22 players on the roster, not just a member of the 53-man.
Barnwell’s roster doesn’t have any bearing on the upcoming season, but it is nice to see that the Cardinals have the talent, without the massive paycheck, to make an impression.
While not with the Cardinals, a bonus for Sun Devil fans, former Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez was one of seven rookies from the 2017 draft to make this “perfect roster.” Gonzalez was drafted in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns.
