Los Angeles Chargers sign RB Amar Johnson

The Chargers' signing of Amar Johnson earns a D+ Contract Value Index (CVI), reflecting a back-of-the-market depth move with minimal upside at its price point. At $2.65M AAV, Johnson lands in the replacement-level running back tier — a short-term insurance policy rather than a meaningful contributor to a playoff-positioned roster sitting at 11-6 and fighting for AFC seeding. The contract structure suggests a low-risk, low-reward gamble: limited guaranteed money wrapped around a veteran or developmental depth piece, the kind of flyer competitive teams make in preseason to manage injuries or roster churn without cap strain. For a team with 91 days until regular-season kickoff, this is exactly the kind of transaction that should register as peripheral noise — it solves a narrow problem (depth depth insurance) without moving the needle on win probability or competitive window. The D+ CVI verdict is not a condemnation; it's an acknowledgment that Johnson's market value and the Chargers' investment are appropriately matched at the margins, neither a bargain nor an overpay, just a necessary piece of the roster-building puzzle in the final stretch before games begin.