Arizona Cardinals Acquire Running Back Adrian Peterson in a Trade With the New Orleans Saints
The Arizona Cardinals have finally found the right person to lead the backfield while first-team All-Pro running back David Johnson continues to recover from wrist surgery.
The team has announced that they have traded away a conditional 2018 sixth-round draft pick to acquired seven-time Pro Bowler Adrian Peterson from the New Orleans Saints.
"We are always on the lookout for opportunities to improve our team. What Adrian has accomplished in this league is well-established. Our need for a spark in the running game right now is also obvious and we are excited to give him the chance to provide that," Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said in a statement, via the team's official website.
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Well, Peterson's tenure in New Orleans sure didn't last very long. The 32-year-old running back is a talented player, but he was just a bad fit with the Saints and he fell behind Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara on the team's depth chart.
The 2012 National Football League (NFL) most valuable player had just 27 carries for 81 yards in four games with the Saints this season, and he also made two catches for four yards.
Now Peterson will get the chance to prove that he still has it in him because he's going to be the Cardinals' featured back.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals had to release veteran running back Chris Johnson to make room for Peterson on the roster.
Johnson was the team's leading rusher this season, but that's not really saying much since he ran for just 114 yards on 45 carries in four games this season.
"Steve and I had been talking for the last couple of weeks about the running back position. Chris Johnson is a great guy and I hate that it came down this way for him. But we had to do something to help our football team," Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said, via the team's official website.
