Veteran running back was shaky as backup
The Redskins cut the veteran running back Tuesday and signed Chad Simpson, who has experience on special teams, something Johnson does not. This also elevates Keiland Williams to the No. 2 job, though he has yet to carry the ball. He has caught four passes for 15 yards.
Johnson, a Maryland native, won the No. 2 job in camp, edging Willie Parker. But in two games he managed just two yards on five carries. His last play in Washington was a 10-yard loss in which he tried to reverse field.
The 30-year-old Johnson has rushed for 6,221 career yards, all but 206 with Kansas City.
“I’m very upset, I didn’t see this coming,” Johnson said through his agent, Peter Shaffer. “Most importantly, this is where I wanted to end my career, a place where I was born and raised most of my life.
“I understand it’s a business and I have nothing but love for the Redskins. They gave me a chance when I didn’t know where I was gonna end up.”
Simpson, who played collegiately at Morgan State, rushed for 147 yards on 30 carries and caught six passes for 31 yards in two seasons with Indianapolis. He also returned kickoffs (23.4 yard average on 53 returns, with one touchdown) and served as a gunner on punt coverage. Buffalo cut him this summer.
