Andre Ellington Dubbed 2014 Starter in Arizona; Has Been Asked to Put on Weight
Alex Dunlap, RosterWatch.com
According to Fox 910 in Phoenix, the Cardinals offensive staff, for now, seems to be more than comfortable with the idea of coming into the 2014 NFL season with second-year runner Andre Ellington as its featured runner and workhorse.

Members of the Cardinals organization had made statements through the 2013 season indicating that they felt Ellington was capable of carrying the load, but never committed to using the electric rookie talent with any consistent volume.

It is also being reported by TheState.com that Ellington has been asked to put on weight from the 199 pounds he played at through the 2013 season. Ellington is electric in small spaces, and dynamic both inside and outside of the tackles. When taking a look at in-depth 2013 statistics, fans will note that Ellington was actually more effective in the NFC West—the toughest division in the NFL to run on—between the tackles than he was outside of them.

With Rashard Mendenhall likely to hit the road and Ryan Williams clearly a JAG at this point, this likely means an uptick in carries for fellow second-year runner Stepfan Taylor. We predicted at this time last season that the future of the Arizona backfield was a 1a and 1b situation featuring both of these players, and it appears things are heading that direction.