Earlier this offseason, David Johnson proclaimed his enthusiasm for running out of the shotgun formation.
How much the Cardinals will use the shotgun is TBD, of course. Kliff Kingsbury said Monday shotgun use was "another thing we're working through, what the best balance for us (is). Last year Kansas City was 80 percent shotgun (and) they were decent on offense. Not bad. We'll see. Whatever fits our team."
Regardless, Johnson is going to be in the middle of it. That's why it was interesting to see a Pro Football Focus tweet that noted Johnson only averaged 2.3 yards a carry out of the shotgun in 2018. Of course, he averaged 6.3 yards a carry out of the shotgun during his huge 2016 season. The first thought that came to mind wasn't that Johnson's production could go either way in shotgun, but instead that the Cardinals' offense was not good in 2018 on a lot of levels. It was pretty good in 2016 on a lot of levels.
If Johnson plays the way he is capable, it feels like Kingsbury will know how to get Johnson the ball on running plays to be effective out of the shotgun. Shotgun runs can't just be about Johnson taking a draw on third-and-long.
