Brian Leonard isn't the only running back that suffered an injury during the Bengals 16-7 loss against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night. Even though they're waiting on results from Brian Leonard's tests, Bengals running back Cordera Eason was injured later in the game and never returned. This comes after Cedric Peerman was dealing with a hamstring injury and didn't play. According to Geoff Hobson, the Bengals contacted former running back James Johnson on Monday.
A league source outside Cincinnati said Monday they have contacted James Johnson, a former Bengal recently released from the Vikings. The 5-11, 205-pound Johnson played in four games at the end of the 2008 season and looked impressive catching the ball out of the backfield. He had 29 yards on nine carries and caught six balls for 47 yards. He’s best remembered for keeping the lone offensive touchdown drive against the Browns going in a 14-0 win at Cleveland on Dec. 21, 2008 when he converted third downs on a 12-yard run and 15-yard catch in Leonard-esque fashion.
Johnson, who didn’t play last season, arrived in Cincinnati in ’08 as a free agent out of Kansas State. He got crunched out of the roster last training camp with the trade for Leonard and drafting of Scott after a 2009 preseason he averaged 4.4 yards per rush on 23 carries. The Bengals cut him and then re-signed him to the practice squad, where he spent the entire season before opting to go to Minnesota in the offseason.
The team is still waiting on test results for Brian Leonard.