A week after one of the fastest men in the NFL was released, he’s in no hurry to sign with a new team. Or, perhaps more accurately, no team is in a hurry to sign him.
As of last Friday, Johnson was expected to join a new team by the middle of this week. The fact that he hasn’t strongly suggests that not much is going on.
It’s a bit of a surprise, given Johnson’s impressive six seasons of NFL performances. But with the man who drafted Johnson and coached him for three seasons (Rams coach Jeff Fisher) apparently not interested and the man who coached him for the most recent three seasons (Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak) apparently not pushing his new team to defer signing LeGarrette Blount until getting a crack at Johnson, the rest of the league could be heeding the message.
Or maybe the devaluation of the tailback position continues, with Johnson being the latest visit of the trend toward the passing game and away from workhorse running backs.
Or maybe it’s a little of both. Either way, Johnson remains available. With the draft less than four weeks away, it possibly could stay that way until after teams with lingering needs at the position try to address those needs with incoming rookies.
Unless, of course, Johnson currently is negotiating with one or more teams who have insisted on secrecy, as some teams (including Blount’s former employer, and the team that signed Jared Allen out of the blue) have a habit of doing.