Arguably Chris Johnson’s best day in the NFL came against the Jacksonville Jagaurs. That was Nov. 1, 2009 when he set the franchise’s single-game record of 228 rushing yards.
The Tennessee Titans running back is not likely to be at his Saturday when the Jaguars come to town for the Titans’ final home game of the regular season.
Johnson sat out Tuesday’s workout with soreness in his ankle.
“We are assuming that he is going to be OK,” coach Mike Munchak said. “The trainers feel pretty good about him, CJ feels pretty good and until he starts running [Wednesday] we will have a better feel. Then we will have a couple days if there is an issue to figure out what the best thing to do is.”
They provided themselves with options Monday when the claimed fullback Quinn Johnson off waivers from Denver and placed Javon Ringer on injured reserve with a broken hand.
Ringer was Johnson’s primary backup for most of the season and, on occasion, split carries almost evenly with the three-time Pro Bowler. In 12 games, he set career-highs with 59 carries, 28 receptions and 372 total yards.
Quinn Johnson played for the Titans during the first four games while Ahmard Hall served a league suspension. He was released when Hall became eligible once again.
Hall has 21 career rushes, including three this season, but is considered an emergency option at tailback behind Johnson and rookie Jamie Harper.
“We went 3-1 when [Quinn Johnson] was here,” Munchak said. “He fits in nice with what we do. I think it was more of just picking up a guy that we thought was a good football player and then just kind of see where it goes from there.”
Chris Johnson has missed just one game in his four NFL seasons. That was the final game of his rookie year. With 875 yards, a 4.0 yards-per-carry average and four rushing touchdowns he is on pace for his least productive season as a professional.
The injury to his left ankle, sustained late in Sunday’s loss at Indianapolis, is not likely to help him approach the standard he set in the previous three seasons. It might even keep him out altogether.
“I’ve had an ankle problem before, and this one’s not as bad as the ones I had in previous years,” he said. “So think I should be all right.
“I think I should play on Saturday. It wasn’t good enough to go [Tuesday] and it’s just … the first day of the week of practice week. I’ll take a break on it, let it heal up some and just get it ready for Saturday.”
Even with his record-setting performance, Johnson has averaged fewer than 100 yards (93.7) in seven career appearances against the Jaguars. He opened the current campaign with 24 yards on nine carries at Jacksonville.
“I think it will be … seeing what [he] looks like in practice and his change of direction and things like that to see if we have concerns or not with what we see,” Munchak said. “I think it’s a wait-and-see deal, and then we will have to decide from there. If we are not happy then we will have to do something about it.”