We learned in late February that the Bengals had decided to offer Brandon Johnson a one-year tender worth $1.545 million, the second-round compensation level for restricted free agents. Within a week, the Bengals officially made that official. And nearly two months later, Brandon Johnson finally signs the one-year tender. It's not uncommon for restricted free agents to hold out as long as possible, waiting for another team to swing down and offer the player a better long-term deal. The Bengals tried to do that with Naufahu Tahi, but the Vikings eventually matched Cincinnati's offer.
We're still waiting on Rashad Jeanty, who goes unsigned at this moment.
Bengals.com (which publishes the tackle stats by what the coaches record since tackles is an unofficial stat by the NFL), records his tackle number at 112, with 1.5 quarterback sacks and two picks.
Just to show you how powerful my prophecy skills are, this is one of the first pieces on CJ I wrote about Brandon Johnson. "It's just as likely that Blackstock and Johnson, if he's signed, are cut from the team simply because other players perform better during camps." Nailed it, huh?
In an August post titled "Lesser known Bengals are shining with their opportunity", I made the case that Keith Rivers could be relegated to backup role if he doesn't hurry up and end his hold-out. Keith Rivers started the first game of the season. Well, you could say I'm on a roll. Right? (sigh)