Is LJ bound for the NFC, or will he remain in the AFC?
The Kansas City Chiefs officially cut ties with Larry Johnson, a move clearly accepted by both sides, as Kansas City has been inching toward moving on from Johnson for the past two seasons, and Johnson hasn’t been happy in Kansas City for some time.
The team avoided a major distraction in the locker room and through the press by unloading Johnson now, and also gave their younger, more talented backs, Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith, more opportunities to prove themselves.
Only extremely running back-starved teams will take a look at Johnson, as his attitude could mess with a contender’s chemistry. However, many of his problems offensively this season stemmed from a shaky pass offense and poor blocking, so there’s a solid chance he gets picked up somewhere.
Some teams with injury issues or less than stellar play at the position that may become interested are the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, and the Cleveland Browns.
New England has a reputation for taking in both sketchy characters, as well as veterans that the outside public often views as washed up or over the hill. Johnson is 29 and is closer to the end of his career than he probably would like to admit, but behind New England’s offensive line, he could cause Patriots fans to have flashbacks of Corey Dillon. Well, sort of.
It appears that the Laurence Maroney experiment is working for the Patriots right now, however, and with Fred Taylor’s return still a possibility, it doesn’t look like LJ coming to New England is in the cards.
It’s far more likely that a cellar dwelling team like the Browns give him a shot over their own aging veteran, Jamal Lewis, or a middle of the pack team like the Seahawks or Packers could take one last try at upgrading over their mediocre running back corps.
The Seahawks have stood idly by as Julius Jones has waffled in his own disgusting mediocrity, while the Packers have been held hostage by Ryan Grant’s indecisive cuts and inconsistent field vision for the past year and a half.
Regardless of where he goes, Johnson has little to no value unless he has solid weapons around him, and an elite offensive line blocking for him. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that giving Larry Johnson 20+ carries does not necessarily mean elite production.
