Seeking offensive line help, the Cincinnati Bengals went out and swiped Fred Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers on a waiver claim.
The talented rookie seemed destined to land on Pittsburgh’s practice squad before the Bengals pounced. Here are some details about Cincinnati’s newest rookie.
Basics: Johnson is a Florida product who went undrafted and stands at 6’7″, 326 pounds. He started a few games at right tackle as a freshman before kicking inside to guard as a junior.
Scout’s take: From NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein: “However, he has show that he understands his landmarks and how to attack them. Johnson flashes an impressive ability to keep rushers in front of him with a stiff punch and adequate balance in his mirror. He has day three, backup potential.”
Pro Day results: 5.32 40-yard dash, 24.5-inch vertical, 8.8-inch broad jump, 20 reps of 225 pounds on bench press.
With the Steelers: Pittsburgh doled out $15,000 to lure in Johnson and had him play every spot on the line but center.
The move: The Steelers needed to promote players from the practice squad so seemed to only briefly want to cut Johnson, who was inactive for all five games. There is a scenario where they bring him back to the 53 once it was revealed Stephon Tuitt was out for the year.
The media take to know:
The PFF angle:
Johnson’s perspective (via TribLive’s Chris Adamski): “I never look at the pot (half) empty; that (crap) is half full. So I got put on waivers. I could have been here playing (merely) being a backup for three, four more years, however long. So, you just understand the business. They need a quarterback, they need a running back. That stuff happens.”
