Josh Johnson (QB) - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Cowboys, 49ers, Browns, Giants

August 23rd, 2014 at 10:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s check out some leftover links on this Saturday night…

The Cowboys broke ground on a $115MM training facility in Frisco, Texas yesterday, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com.
ESPN.com’s Todd Archer says (via Twitter) that Ryan Williams is among the 53-best players on the Cowboys roster, but that there is no guarantee that he’ll make the final cut.
Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com believes the 49ers will likely roll with either Blaine Gabbert or Josh Johnson as the backup quarterback. If the players struggle, the team might be forced to look outside of the organization.
Josh Gordon was not in the Browns starting lineup on Saturday, and Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com thinks that this could be an indication by the team that Gordon will not be around for the start of the season.
Giants wide receiver Marcus Harris will be out for about three weeks, and it’s a tough blow for the player. While he was originally expected to be the team’s fifth receiver, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com questions whether the player will now even make the roster.

King’s Latest: CBs, Bortles, Fairley, 49ers

August 18th, 2014 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

Those defensive penalties that have plagued preseason games for the last two weeks won’t be going away once the regular season gets underway, according to vice president of officiating Dean Blandino. Blandino tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that defensive holding and illegal contact penalties will continue to be a point of emphasis throughout the year, and that he expects coaches and teams to adjust their style of play over the next few weeks. In the second weekend of the 2014 preseason, there have been nearly nine more penalties per game than an average 2013 regular season contest, which is a number that will hurt the game if it extends into the regular season, writes King.

Here’s more from this week’s MMQB:

King predicts that we’ll hear of several teams desperate for cornerbacks in the next week or so. “We’re going to get one,” a personnel man for one team said. “But we may have to pay a higher price than we want, or a higher price than the player deserves.” King identifies the Jets, Ravens, Lions, Colts, Vikings, and Buccaneers as teams that may be on the lookout for another corner.
While Chad Henne may open the regular season under center for the Jaguars, the team has always planned to transition Blake Bortles into the starting role when he’s ready, regardless of how well or how poorly Henne is playing, says King. Based on how Bortles has looked so far in the preseason, that transition could end up happening sooner rather than later.
According to King, Nick Fairley is now behind C.J. Mosley on the Lions‘ depth chart. So far, it doesn’t seem as Detroit’s decision to decline Fairley’s 2015 option as a motivational tactic has paid off for the defensive tackle or the team.
One scout suggests the 49ers should be worried about the backup quarterback situation, and King writes that Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke may be thinking about elevating Josh Johnson to No. 2 on the depth chart after another poor performance by Blaine Gabbert.
King praises the Bears‘ signing of wide receiver Santonio Holmes, writing that he has “no idea” why so many people view Holmes as a toxic locker-room presence — in King’s view, the veteran wideout has been “mildly disruptive,” but he’s hardly a cancer.

49ers’ Not Looking To Add At Quarterback

August 17th, 2014 at 8:41pm CST by Rob DiRe

The bright spots were far and few between during the 49ers’ embarrassing 34-0 defeat to the Broncos earlier today. The team’s signal callers struggled in particular, with the four quarterbacks on the roster failing to produce even a single touchdown drive, and combining to produce three points in two preseason games thus far.

Of the four quarterbacks on the roster, only starter Colin Kaepernick‘s job is secure, and hopefully for the team he will stay healthy and his backups will never see any meaningful action. Even still, there is concern over the uncertainty of the three players vying to be the number two passer on the depth chart.

Blaine Gabbert was thought to have the inside track, after the 49ers traded a sixth round pick to the Jaguars to acquire his services. However, through two preseason games he has completed only 11/27 passes for 60 yards, throwing two interceptions in the process. His performances have left his spot on the team in doubt.

At the same time, fellow backups Josh Johnson and McLeod Bethel-Thompson have failed to impress themselves. Bethel-Thompson has thrown two interceptions himself, and while Johnson escaped the preseason opener without a turnover, he lost a fumble today against the Broncos.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh is unhappy with the amount of turnovers he is seeing from the group, noting that turnovers will be the deciding factor on who gets the nod in the event Kaepernick should need to be replaced, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.

“In terms of a backup quarterback, it’s as simple as who doesn’t turn the ball over,” Harbaugh said. “They’re turning the ball over. All of them have. There’s nobody to elevate. Whoever doesn’t turn the ball over will be the backup quarterback.”

Harbaugh still shot down the idea that the team would look outside the organization for a suitable backup.

One quarterback who could provide an upgrade over the current backups is Christian Ponder, writes Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com (via Twitter). Ponder has fallen out of favor with the Vikings, as Matt Cassel and Teddy Bridgewater are currently battling for the starting job in Minnesota.

The team will of course like to get 16 games out of their starter, but in today’s NFL, a weak backup quarterback can take a contender to a bottom dweller in a hurry.

NFC Notes: Marshall, Packers, 49ers

May 19th, 2014 at 1:43pm CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings will have the first opportunity to pitch their city as the host of Super Bowl LII in 2018, according to the team’s Twitter account. As NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport points out (via Twitter), that is exactly what the team was hoping for. Minneapolis hasn’t hosted a championship since 1992 and the construction of a new stadium may be enough to bring the game back to Minnesota. The Saints and Colts are also finalists for the bid.

Now, for more notes from around the NFC…

Brandon Marshall will donate $1MM to the mental healthy community, the Pro-Bowler announced during his appearance on “The View” (via Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com).
Marshall’s new contract will likely have an impact on future deals for Packers receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, tweets ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
The 49ers have two starting-caliber nose tackles in Glenn Dorsey and Ian Williams and could very well trade one of them, writes Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. The team only plays the position on about 40 percent of their defensive plays, so they could move one of the veterans to acquire more draft picks. Barrows mentions Williams as being the most likely to be traded.
Josh Johnson will have no impact on the 49ers cap room, writes Barrows in another article. The quarterback signed with the team last week, and because the player’s salary is not among the top-51 on the team, it will have no impact on the 49ers’ available offseason cap space.

49ers Sign Josh Johnson

May 14th, 2014 at 6:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers announced that they have signed quarterback Josh Johnson to a one-year deal, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The Bengals released Johnson earlier this week after taking A.J. McCarron in the draft.

Johnson, who turns 28 tomorrow, made five starts for the Buccaneers between 2009 and 2011. Since then, the 6’3″ quarterback spent a season each with the Browns and Bengals. Johnson played for San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego, which presumably played a role in the deal.

Johnson signed a two-year deal with the 49ers in March of 2012 but was unable to make the 53-man roster. The QB will hope for a better outcome this time and an opportunity to help support starter Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers traded for former top-10 pick Blaine Gabbert this offseason while McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Kory Faulkner are also under contract, so Johnson will have his work cut out for him.

Minor Moves: Seahawks, Cowboys, Colts, Chiefs

May 12th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

With teams adding draft picks and undrafted free agents, cuts may have to be made in order to clear spots on 90-man rosters for the new arrivals. We can expect those cuts to dominate today’s list of minor transactions. Here are the latest moves, with updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:

A little over a month after signing a three-year deal with the Seahawks, long snapper Jorgen Hus is on waivers, having been cut by Seattle, per Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
Guard Chris DeGeare, defensive tackle Frank Kearse, wide receiver Lance Lewis, defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo, linebacker Quinton Spears, and linebacker Jabara Williams have been cut by the Cowboys, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Earlier updates:

The Colts have waived four players, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter): Linebacker Alan Baxter, fullback Stephen Cambell, tight end Martell Webb, and kicker Carson Wiggs.
Wideout Rashad Ross has been waived by the Chiefs, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
After adding a quarterback (A.J. McCarron) in the draft, the Bengals have released Josh Johnson, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
The Dolphins have also parted ways with a quarterback, cutting Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Aaron Rodgers, the team announced today (via Twitter). In addition to Rodgers, wide receiver Michael Rios was also waived.
The Bills have released running back Anthony Allen, according to a team release. Allen had signed a futures contract with the club in January.
The Bills are waiving offensive tackle Jamaal Johnson-Webb, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Johnson-Webb spent some time on Buffalo’s practice squad last season and signed a futures contract with the club after the season.
The Chiefs are cutting fullback Eric Kettani, according to Wilson. Like Johnson-Webb, Kettani didn’t actually see any playing time for his club, having signed a futures contract following the 2013 season. Wilson notes that the Navy product is expected to draw some interest in free agency, however.
Defensive back Charles Mitchell has been waived by the Broncos, the team announced today (via Twitter). The former Falcon didn’t appear in a regular season game for Denver.