Free-agent RB Chris Johnson was shot in the arm in Orlando on Saturday night, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.  A car he was riding in took gunfire, killing at least 1 person.  Johnson is expected to make a full recovery.  It's been a rough offseason for the 29-year-old, who was arrested on a gun charge and released by the Jets over the past 2 months.  He's not a lock to be on an NFL roster come September.

The Jets on Saturday declined the $500,000 option bonus on RB Chris Johnson. The move saves the team $3.5 million under the 2015 salary cap, and it also makes the 29-year-old veteran a free agent. We expect the Jets to add a speed back in free agency or the draft who can create big plays in space in the spread offense favored by new OC Chan Gailey. Whoever that player winds up being could become a fantasy sleeper. For now, Chris Ivory becomes the Jets' clear lead back.

Jets RB Chris Johnson was arrested and charged with open carrying of a firearm in Florida on Friday.  He's unlikely to face any jail time or NFL suspension, but it's not a good look for a declining 29-year-old RB.  Johnson averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry this past year but mustered a career-low 2 total TDs.  He's set to make $3.5 million in 2015 -- the last year of his current contract.

Jets HC Rex Ryan suggested on Tuesday that RB Chris Ivory could play a bigger role going forward.  "Maybe Chris Ivory will get more time," Ryan said. "He's running hard... there's not a whole lot of guys who want to tackle him."  Ivory is averaging 5.7 yards per carry this season, compared to Chris Johnson's 3.5.  But Johnson has out-snapped Ivory 88 to 82 and out-carried him 35 to 33.  It sounds like the Jets might be ready to alter those splits.  Ivory is a good bet to lead the team in carries the rest of the way.

Jets RB Chris Johnson ran for just 2 yards on 4 carries in Thursday night's preseason opener vs. Indy, but he and the team seemed pleased afterward.  Johnson did score a TD and catch 2 passes for 16 more yards, but most important was the fact that he had no trouble with the knee he had offseason surgery on.  "After the first hit, it was back to normal," Johnson told ESPN New York, "like any other year, like any other game."  HC Rex Ryan also came away with a positive view.  "I'm glad we don't have to defend him," Ryan said. "He still has great speed. He made a few plays and got hit a couple times, but he popped up and had a big smile on his face, so he's ready to roll."  It could further help Johnson if Chris Ivory's rib injury proves limiting, but we'll see what develops there.  All that said, we remain skeptical of Johnson at his RB25 ADP.

Jets HC Rex Ryan confirmed that his backfield will be a committee attack this season.  “I definitely think it’s going to be a committee approach," Ryan said. "When you have Chris Ivory, Chris Johnson and Bilal Powell, I think that’s a pretty safe bet ... These are three guys that are capable of being starters themselves, so I think we’ll play all of them."  While we're not expecting Powell to see more than a handful of touches per game, we are expecting a true committee with Johnson and Ivory.  It's why Johnson is overvalued at his 6th-round ADP and why Ivory is a value pick near the end of your draft.

Jets RBs coach Anthony Lynn confirmed that Chris Ivory is the team's goal-line back.  “If we were playing tomorrow, Chris Ivory would be on the goal line, obviously,” Lynn said, adding that he believes Ivory is "the best power runner in the game."  That's obviously a biased viewpoint, but Ivory did rank 3rd league-wide last year with 3.0 yards after contact per carry.  He converted 2 of 6 carries from inside the 5-yard line into TDs.  We continue to believe that Ivory will see more action this season than most are expecting.  He's a nice value pick in the double-digit rounds of drafts.  We're not interested in RB Chris Johnson at his 6th-round ADP.

Jets RB Chris Johnson (knee) was cleared for the start of training camp and passed his conditioning test on Wednesday.  He underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in January and sat out spring practices.  "I'm pretty good," Johnson said of his knee. "I'm ready to do whatever they ask me to do."  The artist formerly known as CJ2K is the favorite to lead the Jets backfield in touches this year, but RB Chris Ivory might be more involved than most are expecting.  Our RB projections detail our expectations for both players.

Jets RBs coach Anthony Lynn admitted that RB Chris Johnson's workload will need to be monitored.  "He's got some miles on him," Lynn conceded. "So we're going to have to be strategic in how we use him, and when we use him, to keep him fresh so that he can be the explosive guy that I know that he can be."  Johnson averaged 290 carries per season with the Titans.  He won't come close to that mark in 2014.  He turns 29 in September and underwent offseason knee surgery.  Plus, New York has a capable committee partner in RB Chris Ivory.  We currently have Johnson projected for 198 carries.

Jets RB Chris Johnson (knee) says he's "very close to 100%."  He underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus and has been sidelined all offseason.  Johnson returned to individual drills on Tuesday.  We're not expecting that knee to be an issue in 2014, but it remains to be seen how much gas the soon-to-be 29-year-old has left in the tank.  Here's where Johnson sits in our 2014 RB Rankings.

RB Chris Johnson averaged 290 carries across 6 seasons in Tennessee.  He wasn't happy when the Titans added RB Shonn Greene last offseason.  But he's prepared to share carries in New York.  Johnson even admitted that the Jets coaches have already told him he'll be used as part of a committee.  "This year, it’s about winning," Johnson said.  "I want to come into a program where I think we could win. And if that’s what the coach feels we [have to do to] win, then that’s what we have to do."  Johnson and RB Chris Ivory will form a "thunder and lightning" duo.  For more on the Jets' 2014 backfield, check out our Tale of the Tape.

RB Chris Johnson has agreed to a 2-year deal with the Jets.  Per Pro Football Talk, it's an $8 million contract with another $1 million available through incentives.  That makes it the most lucrative deal given to a RB this offseason.  The Jets were the only team that showed strong interest in Johnson.  That's not a major surprise considering he turns 29 in September, underwent offseason knee surgery and is coming off a career-worst 3.9 yards per carry.  Johnson will serve as the "lightning" to RB Chris Ivory's "thunder" in New York's committee backfield.  We're expecting the carries to be split pretty evenly.  Ivory will be the better TD bet, but Johnson will handle the passing-down work.  Both guys figure to struggle even for RB2 fantasy value.

Titans GM Ruston Webster revealed that RB Chris Johnson (knee) passed his exit physical on Friday and would have been able to participate in the start of offseason workouts next week.  Johnson suffered meniscus damage in his knee early on in the 2013 season and underwent surgery in late January.  Teams will need to figure out how much that injury had to do with Johnson's career-low 3.9 yards per carry last year.  "I think Chris still has a lot left," Webster said. "I think Chris will have a some good years left in him."  Expect the 28-year-old to find a new home within the next couple weeks.

The Titans have released RB Chris Johnson.  The move has been fully expected all offseason.  Johnson turns 29 in September, averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry last year and was set to make $8 million in 2014.  He also underwent surgery in late January to repair meniscus damage in his knee.  Based on the free-agent market for RBs this offseason, Johnson is going to be disappointed by the offers he receives.  He'll likely need to settle for a committee role.  Johnson can still provide plenty of value to both NFL teams and fantasy squads, though.  We'll assess his 2014 out look when he finds a new home.

RB Chris Johnson won't be a member of the Titans when the 2014 season kicks off.  But none of Johnson's $8 million salary is in the form of guaranteed money or a bonus, so the team is taking its time in getting rid of him.  Per Pro Football Talk, "multiple" teams are showing a "real interest" in trading for the former 2,000-yard back.  Johnson would be willing to take a small pay cut in that case.  He'd likely need to slice that $8 million in half before teams were willing to make a move, though.  We're still betting on him being released by Tennessee sometime between now and the start of OTAs.

Pro Football Talk reports that the Titans "soon will commence efforts" to trade RB Chris Johnson.  His impending release has long been rumored, so this news comes as no surprise.  We'd be more surprised if Tennessee actually finds a market.  The Titans still owe Johnson $8 million in 2014 and 2015 and then $9 million total (including a $2 million roster bonus).  Any team that trades for Johnson would be on the hook for the rest of that contract.  Look for the trade efforts to fail and Tennessee to cut its former stud some time this summer.

RB Chris Johnson has yet to be cleared to resume running after undergoing offseason knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee.  Johnson is still working to strengthen the muscles around the knee but says he's "closer to 100%."  It's the 1st surgery of his pro career and shouldn't impact his market value once the Titans release him.  For what it's worth, Johnson hinted that the injury suffered in Week 3 impacted his performance the rest of the season.  “I am not going to make excuses, but you can talk to anybody who’s had a torn meniscus and they know how it affects you," Johnson said.  "I’m not going to sit here and tell you if I wouldn’t have had a torn meniscus I would have had 1,600-1,700 rushing yards last year, but my teammates know what I was going through.”  Johnson averaged a career-worst 3.9 yards per carry last year, and the knee was at least partly to blame.  But he's also turning 29 in September and clearly on the decline.  The days of Johnson as an elite fantasy RB are gone.  How much he can help your fantasy squad in 2014 will depend on where he lands.

Titans RB Chris Johnson played most of the 2013 season with a meniscus tear in his knee, according to insider Jason La Canfora.  The injury reportedly occurred in Week 3, but Johnson played through it the rest of the way.  It adds an interesting twist to the narrative of his '13 campaign.  Johnson averaged a career-worst 3.9 yards per carry, but we have to believe the bum knee had quite a bit to do with that.  For what it's worth, Johnson popped off 256 yards on 69 carries (3.7-yard average) in his first 3 games.  La Canfora reports that Johnson will undergo surgery on the knee on Tuesday (Jan. 28).  He's expected to need 4-6 weeks of rehab, so he should be back to 100% in plenty of time for spring practices.  Due $8 million in 2014 and unwilling to take a pay cut, Johnson is fully expected to be released this offseason.  Teams will surely take the knee injury into account when evaluating Johnson's value.  But the fact remains that he's a 28-year-old on the downside of his career.

The Titans have hired Ken Whisenhunt as their new HC.  Whisenhunt was believed to be the front-runner to land the head-coaching gig in Detroit, where he would have been able to work with QB Matt Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson and the rest of a talented roster.  Instead, he heads to a Titans team that finished 2013 ranked 22^nd in total offense and that has question marks at QB and RB.  Jake Locker has struggled with consistency and durability through 3 pro seasons, and RB Chris Johnson is due $8 million this coming season after averaging 3.9 yards per carry in 2013.  Whiz has his work cut out for him but is regarded as an offensive guru.  He was a big part of QB Philip Rivers’ bounce-back campaign as San Diego’s OC this season.  Before that, Whisenhunt worked with Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh and Kurt Warner in Arizona.  He’s shown an ability to morph his offense depending on the strength of the personnel.  It’s unclear where the Titans’ strength lies right now.