Where the Bengals Have Already Failed Joe Burrow

[SunsetBengal]

(05-03-2020, 03:01 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: I don't necessarily disagree with the Wilson pick but the "perception" that the Bengals under emphasize the OL personnel has been prominent since the release of Big Whit and Big Z for years now.  I like Fred Johnson but he and J. Williams are unknowns.  My guess is that Jones had some background noise that has not been made public and I would guess that the Bengals have a psychological profile in terms of leadership and work ethic that Jones did not meet.  

Or, it could be that the Bengals are actually content with what they have done for the Tackle position.  Adeniji was by all accounts a lucky find in the 6th round.  A 4 year starter at LT and team captain, who showed good improvement every year.  Being a good player on a poor team is no small feat.  Had Adeniji played for a team like Oklahoma or Iowa, he's then likely a much more highly regarded prospect, based on source credibility alone.  The same goes for Fred Johnson, he likely went undrafted because he played on some uncharacteristically poor Florida teams.  Had he played on one of their stronger teams, he's likely more highly sought after.

You refer to Johnson as an unknown, but the Bengals were comfortable pressing him into service last year.  He did well, graded out at 72.  Much higher than any Bengal OL not named Cordy Glenn last season.  He was well regarded by media that covers the Steelers, as well.  This Western PA News Outlet said that he had an impressive camp and preseason.

https://triblive.com/sports/bengals-claim-promising-rookie-guard-fred-johnson-off-waivers-from-steelers/

Quote: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.

Quote:The #Bengals acquired OT/G Fred Johnson on waivers from Pittsburgh & placed DE Kerry Wynn on the Reserve/Injured list.
: https://t.co/j5T5B10WCq pic.twitter.com/tzarw7blGU
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 14, 2019

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.

Quote:Fred Johnson said he was told that he would be brought back Monday — if he clears waivers
https://t.co/XJm8esVrye
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 12, 2019

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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