Chris Johnson Ends Holdout: 5 Reasons Running Back Will Earn His Contract

Finally. That's the one word Tennessee Titans fans and fantasy owners uttered Thursday morning along with a sigh of relief. Chris Johnson, the speedy running back who had demanded to be payed quarterback-money, agreed to a more reasonable yet still high-paying, four-year, $53.5 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed.

With Johnson back in the fold, the Titans need to focus on getting him up to speed on new offensive coordinator Chris Palmer's playbook.

Through three preseason games, backup running backs Javon Ringer and Jamie Harper have done an admiral job of handling the additional carries, but they cannot offer what Johnson can.

With the amount of money that the Titans have given Johnson, it'll be tough for him to prove that he's worth it. Here are the things that he needs to do to earn his major increase in salary. 

Stay Healthy

Staying healthy sounds simple enough, but having missed all of training camp and the first three preseason games, there have been an abundance of conditioning-based injuries throughout the league.

Last season, Johnson played through a hamstring injury for more than half of the season, and it showed. For several games, Johnson looked as though he lacked the burst that made him such a big-play threat in previous years.

Hopefully his conditioning in Orlando has been enough to get him ready for the rigors of an NFL season, otherwise this could end up being a real short season for him, which will put the production of the Titans' offense in a bottomless hole. 

Return to CJ2k Form

Last season, Chris Johnson saw a considerable drop off in production from his 2,000-yard season and his 2,500 yards rushing prediction. Instead Johnson rushed for 1,364, which was still good for fourth in the league.

Some of the blame goes to an offensive line that went through a bit of transition period after the departure of center Kevin Mawae, and fullback Ahmard Hall was not his usual self either.

All the blame can't be placed on their shoulders though, as Johnson appeared to be looking for the home run on every play rather than taking what the defense was giving him.

In order for him to earn his money, he needs to get back to what made him successful in he first place. He is perhaps the only back in the league that is capable of scoring a touchdown every time he touches the ball.

Becoming More Concerned About Wins

The past two seasons Johnson has made individual predictions about how many yards he would be rushing for in each upcoming season. He hasn't made any such prediction this year, albeit he hasn't actually been around to take interviews, but the focus on himself is somewhat unnerving to fans of the team.

It's great that he has such high expectations for himself, but his predictions require him to play too large a part in the Tennessee offense. Being a great running back is good and all, but the NFL is a passing league.

Teams with elite running backs have struggled to make the playoffs in recent years, and it doesn't appear likely to change soon.

If CJ2k can have a great year with fewer carries, the passing game can become a bigger part of the offense, and the team will finally move into the modern era of the NFL in that regard.

Get Involved in the Passing Game

Part of what made the 2009 season for Chris Johnson so great was that he didn't just produce amazing numbers on the ground, but he was also able to add more than 500 yards receiving.

Last season, for whatever reason, former Titans coaches Jeff Fisher and Mike Heimerdinger did not see the positives in trying to continue that success.

The new regime has stated their intentions to rectifying that mistake by getting him re-involved in the passing game through screen plays. With Matt Hasselbeck now set to be the starting quarterback, the team should be a lot more stable at the position and will have an improved passing game.

By Keeping the Defense Rested

Even with Johnson playing last season, the Titans were already finishing dead last in the rankings for time of possession per game with just over 26 minutes. Imagine how much worse the team could possibly be without him in the lineup.

Johnson has the ability to extend drives in a plethora of ways and give a defense that has a real opportunity to be good again a breather.

If the defense can get some of the much-needed rest that it never got last season, this could end up being an improved season for the Titans.