LeShon Johnson took over the starting duties in week 5, and McElroy was relegated to backup and special teams. Overall, McElroy had just 86 yards on 38 carries in the Cardinals’ first seven games and finished with 305 yards on 89 carries. 1997 was not much better. McElroy opened the season as the Cardinals' starting tailback and averaged 18 carries in the first five games. He scored both his touchdowns that year in the first two games and after rushing for 281 yards in the first five games, he managed just 143 the rest of the year. Although he led the Cardinals in rushing, he finished with just 424 yards on 135 carries - a paltry 3.14 yards per carry.