Defensive end Michael Johnson will be back for a 10th season with the Cincinnati Bengals after all.
The Bengals released Johnson on Saturday when they reduced their preseason roster of 90 players to reach the regular-season limit of 53. But on Monday, Cincinnati re-signed the former Dallas County High School standout, and reports indicated Johnson received the same contract he had when he was let go.
Also on Monday’s NFL transactions wire, defensive end Nick Williams (Samford) returned to the Chicago Bears’ active roster, the Miami Dolphins waived safety Maurice Smith (Alabama), the Washington Redskins waived defensive end Anthony Lanier (Alabama A&M) with an injury designation and the Seattle Seahawks put running back J.D. McKissic (Central-Phenix City) on injured reserve.
Why would the Bengals cut Johnson only to sign him again? Roster rules mainly.
Cincinnati’s fifth-round draft choice, cornerback Davontae Harris, is hurt and won’t be able to play when the season starts on Sunday, but he isn’t expected to miss the entire season. If the Bengals put Harris on injured reserve before he made the 53-player roster, he’d have to sit out the 2018 campaign. If he appeared on the 53-player roster, then went on injured reserve, he would be able to return to the active roster after eight weeks.
So Harris was on the 53-man roster on Saturday. On Monday, he went on injured reserve, and the Bengals re-signed Johnson to take his place on the roster. When he was released on Saturday, Johnson became an immediate free agent, eligible to sign with any other NFL team.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said there were “probably only three or four other guys” that Cincinnati could have worked out such a deal with.
“It’s very important to have him back, especially with the youth we have on this team,” Cincinnati cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said about Johnson. “To get a guy that’s been around a long time, that knows how it’s done, knows how to get guys going, I feel like he’s great for this organization.”
A former Alabama standout, Kirkpatrick also was a prep standout in the state at Gadsden City. So was Williams at Minor.
Williams had a similar experience to Johnson’s. Let go on Saturday by the Bears, he re-signed on Monday with Chicago.
Second-year tight end Adam Shaheen is the Chicago player too injured to start the season, but not hurt so badly that he’ll be out the whole year. So Shaheen made the 53-man roster on Saturday and went on injured reserve on Monday, with Williams filling the new opening on the active roster.
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Smith played his first three collegiate seasons at Alabama before finishing his career as a graduate transfer at Georgia. He earned a place on the Dolphins as an undrafted rookie last season, but appendicitis ended his year after six games.
Smith was on Miami’s original 53-player roster on Saturday. But the Dolphins waived him on Monday to bring back offensive tackle Sam Young, who’d been released on Saturday.
McKissic suffered a broken foot in Seattle’s preseason game on Aug. 18. By delaying his placement on injured reserve, the Seahawks can bring him back after eight weeks if he’s ready.
Lanier has a hip flexor/groin injury and was waived when the Redskins signed free agent defensive lineman Caleb Brantley. If Lanier goes unclaimed by any other NFL team on Tuesday, he’ll revert to Washington’s injured reserve.
Also on Monday, the Houston Texans made official what had been reported on Sunday night: They re-signed quarterback Joe Webb (Wenonah, UAB) after releasing him on Saturday.
“That was kind of a formality – I’ll be honest with you – relative to a couple things that were going on,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said about releasing Webb. “But he earned the right to be on our team, and he made our football team.”
Six players from Alabama high schools and colleges also signed on Monday to join NFL practice squads — cornerback Tony Brown (Alabama) with the Green Bay Packers, outside linebacker Jeff Holland (Auburn) with the Denver Broncos, cornerback Cyrus Jones (Alabama) with the Baltimore Ravens, defensive end Eric Lee (Daphne) with the Detroit Lions, cornerback Jonathon Mincy with the Bears and running back Bo Scarbrough with the Dallas Cowboys.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.
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