Cardinals' Andre Ellington: Will still have role with Cardinals

Ellington is expected to have a role within the Cardinals' crowded backfield in 2016, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. "We'll definitely get him in there," head coach Bruce Arians said. "How many touches he gets is going to depend on how all three of them are playing."

Analysis:

Ellington followed up a game-breaking rookie season in 2013 with a dud as the Cardinals' lead RB in the next campaign. Injuries certainly played a role, but the Cardinals were proactive with the offseason additions of David Johnson in the 2015 NFL Draft and Chris Johnson in the middle of training camp. Despite these moves, Ellington entered the year as the No. 1 back, only to sustain a PCL injury in Week 1 that thrust the Johnsons into larger roles. Chris Johnson was highly effective as the starter for the ensuing 10 contests, but maladies to both the elder Johnson and Ellington in Week 12 paved the way for David Johnson's late-season explosion. Due to the performance, David has been deemed worthy of "bell cow" status by Arians heading into training camp, while the re-signing of Chris provides insurance for the corps. As a result, Darren Urban of the team's official site has speculated that Ellington will serve "more as a receiver than straight runner," which is likely the best use of his skill set due to the injury-prone label levied upon him since his time at Clemson.