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The Bengals have been busy rounding out the back ends of their position groups of late, most recently with wide receiver Denarius Moore and quarterback Josh Johnson. The journeyman quarterback is returning to Cincinnati for the first time since 2013 and will be fighting with AJ McCarron for the role of backing up Andy Dalton.
Johnson's signing was a bit of a surprise from the standpoints of the team seeming to like McCarron as the backup in his sophomore campaign, and the relative in-game inexperience of Johnson. It isn't a surprise though, given the team's penchant for bringing in familiar players this offseason. However, as expected, the veteran signal-caller signed for a minimal deal, per Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
Josh Johnson one-year Bengals deal: $825,000, $745,000 salary ,$50,000 bonus, $30,000 workout bonus, cap is $665,000, minimum salary benefit
— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) April 6, 2015
True to many of their free agency signings in recent years, the Bengals have small penalties if they decide to cut bait with Johnson. Even though they seemed to be more confident in McCarron in year two, Johnson's experience (though not so much as a player with a lot of time) and athleticism could intrigue the coaches.
It's believed that the Bengals will only use two spots for quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, as they did in 2014. Doing so would free up roster spots at jammed position groups--particularly on the defensive line.