Andre Ellington will still be needed by the Arizona Cardinals

After two off seasons of excitement and anticipation of what the next step for Andre Ellington was going to be, the reality is he is now the third option on a talented team. 

Even more, he is a back up running back that doesn't play special teams, which seems like the optimal player to be cut, but that doesn't seem like something Bruce Arians is looking at, "We’ll definitely get him in there. Now how many touches he gets, it’s going to depend on how all three of them are playing."

It's not just that he can make plays when given touches, it's that he offers a similar skill set as David Johnson and we have seen him be extremely useful in a limited role.  That skill set will allow him to be used at any time, anywhere on the field.

Ellington may not be the upside every down back we had hoped for after his rookie season, but he isn't as bad as many are saying after three injury plagued NFL seasons.

Ellington is now a guy who may only be needed to come in for David Johnson if he or Chris Johnson are out. And that would be fine because he can be used similarly in the run game and passing game.  His ability to fill the David Johnson role in limited snaps will allow Johnson to be fresh for late in the year, but also for teams to never be able to relax.  While Chris Johnson is still the better back, he lacks the ability out of the backfield that Ellington has, and that means Ellington has value in Arizona.

His upside may be different now, but his impact on the season could be bigger than ever.

While the excitement may be gone, the need for Andre Ellington to be ready and be electric is never going to be bigger, just ask Seattle.

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