Well, that didn't last long.
After the Cardinals revealed in late March that Andre Ellington would be making the switch from running back to receiver this offseason, they've already ended the experiment before training camp begins. On Wednesday, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians told reporters that Ellington is moving back to running back.
In the process, Arians outlined what Ellington needs to do to improve as a running back. The short answer is that he needs to get better at not being tackled -- you know, what running backs are expected to do on a snap-by-snap basis.
Arians: Andre Ellington is back to being a RB. challenge for him is running tougher, not going down as easy.
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) June 7, 2017
Ellington's switch back to running back probably has something to do with the Cardinals' depth chart. David Johnson -- arguably the most complete back in all of football -- obviously has the starting job locked down, but there's not much else behind him after the Cardinals failed to address the position in free agency. They did, however, draft T.J. Logan in the fifth round. Regardless, don't expect Ellington or Logan to wrestle away too many carries from Johnson.
In March, Arians said that he's aiming for Johnson to get 30 touches per game.
"He's still too young to overuse," Arians said.
In Ellington's four-year career, he's carried the ball 398 times for 1,697 yards and nine touchdowns. He's been more effective as a pass catcher, racking up 112 receptions, 999 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. His problem, though, has always been consistency.
He's scheduled to become a free agent after the upcoming season, so he better get consistent quickly.
