With the emergence of a rejuvenated Chris Johnson, Andre Ellington has been relegated to a minor role in the Arizona Cardinals' offense.
Things could begin to change Sunday versus the Cleveland Browns.
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said Friday there will be more in the gameplan for Ellington this week, per Darren Urban of the team's official website.
Ellington played 18 snaps in Monday night's win, but compiled just five rushes for 21 yards and three receptions. Since Week 5 -- when he returned from a knee injury suffered Week 1 -- Ellington has garnered just nine total carries in three games.
"I think BA (head coach Bruce Arians) has stuff for him and he didn't get to it, but I'm sure he'll get to it this week," offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin said of Ellington. "As you saw (Monday night), there was a series where I think he pretty much was in there the whole series because he (Arians) wanted to get him going.
"He's got fresh legs, obviously."
With Johnson's resurgence, the Cardinals could ease Ellington back into the rotation and keep him as a chance-of-pace back, which best suits his skill set.
Facing a Browns defense that ranks last in stopping the run -- allowing 151 yards per game on the ground -- it makes sense to anticipate more handoffs for Ellington.
Even with an increased role for Ellington, we expect Johnson to keep the majority of the workload. Ellington's increase in snaps could come at the expense of rookie David Johnson -- Arians has never shied away from saying the rookie could sit more when Ellington returns to form.
