The AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals announced Monday they claimed rookie guard Fred Johnson off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers, robbing the Steelers of a promising offensive lineman prospect.
The 6-foot-7, 325-pound Johnson was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida and was impressive during training camp and in preseason games. He was inactive for each of the Steelers’ first five games and was waived Friday when the Steelers needed space on their 53-man roster to promote players from their practice squad.
The #Bengals acquired OT/G Fred Johnson on waivers from Pittsburgh & placed DE Kerry Wynn on the Reserve/Injured list.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 14, 2019
?: https://t.co/j5T5B10WCq pic.twitter.com/tzarw7blGU
Johnson and journeyman outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott were waived to make room for running back Trey Edmunds and quarterback Paxton Lynch in the wake of the injuries to Jaylen Samuels and Mason Rudolph.
Johnson, who also repped at tackle, said he was told he would be welcomed back to the Steelers if he cleared waivers. And with the news Monday that Stephon Tuitt is out for the season, Johnson likely would have been signed back to the 53-man roster.
Fred Johnson said he was told that he would be brought back Monday — if he clears waivers
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 12, 2019
https://t.co/XJm8esVrye
The Bengals and 0-6 and have the second-worst pass blocking in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus rankings. Only four teams have allowed more sacks (22).
The loss of Johnson represents that all 10 of the players the Steelers signed as undrafted free agents in the hours after the draft ended have been waived, although cornerback Alexander Myres was re-signed to their practice squad earlier this month and undrafted quarterback Devlin Hodges was added later in the summer.
The Steelers have veteran B.J. Finney as a backup at all three interior line spots.
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