The Facts: A week ago, HC Bruce Arians said Johnson is "too young to overuse" and would like to get "30 touches" a game out of the dual-threat running back. On Thursday afternoon, Johnson was asked about taking on such a heavy workload. The 25-year-old tailback would welcome the challenge. "I'm still young," Johnson told the team's official website. "I'm still on my first contract. So I feel I can definitely handle 30 touches. I did it last year, basically, with running the ball and catching it out of the backfield."
Diehards Line:
Johnson carried the ball 293 times for 1,239 yards and 16 TD while adding 80 catches for 879 yards and four receiving touchdowns. As NFL.com notes, his 373-touch season broke down as such: 20 in Week 1; 15; 22; 21; 30; 25; 41 (with 33 carries); 17; 24; 29; 21; 27; 25; 16; 32; and 8 (he was injured early in the contest and did not return). If we toss out the final game, that's an average of 24.3 touches over 15 weeks. "I never really got fatigued," Johnson said. "Those tough defense games against Seattle and the Rams, those games might feel a little sore, but that's not until the adrenaline comes down. I never really feel too bad." While claims in today's NFL that a running back will take on 30 or so touches should be taken with a grain of salt, Johnson possesses the body type and pass-catching acumen to come close to that outsized number. And a coach that sounds dead set on proving it.