Eagles re-sign Fred Johnson to two-year contract

The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed offensive lineman Fred Johnson to a two-year contract on Thursday, according to an official team announcement.

This news comes one day after Johnson showed up as being released on the league’s transaction wire. The cut was thought to be some kind of procedural move, however, with Johnson expected to soon return to the team. And that’s exactly what happened.

The Eagles originally signed Johnson to their practice squad in early November last year. Here’s what we wrote about him at that time:

The 6’7”, 325 pound tackle played his college football at Florida before he went undrafted and spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL.

Johnson brings some versatility and experience to the table. He’s taken NFL snaps at left tackle, right tackle, and right guard. Johnson has logged eight starts in 28 total games played.

The Eagles then signed Johnson to a contract after his practice squad deal expired at the end of the 2022 season. Here’s what we wrote then:

The Eagles signed Johnson, who’s logged eight starts in 28 games played, to their practice squad in November. With Andre Dillard likely to leave in free agency, the Eagles will need to find more tackle depth. Johnson can compete for that role.

And compete he did.

Johnson figures to be in the mix to take snaps at left tackle in an event that Jordan Mailata is unavailable. He currently ranks 12th out of 106 tackles graded by Pro Football Focus in the preseason, for what it’s worth. The Eagles also likely value Johnson’s experience at guard.

The Birds probably wouldn’t be signing Johnson to this deal if they didn’t intend on keeping him on their 53-man roster. Something to keep in mind with cut down day looming at 4:00 PM Eastern on Tuesday, August 29.