Redskins sign undrafted rookie ILB Gary Johnson to combat injuries
By Ian Cummings
The Redskins have generally avoided the injury bug so far this preseason, but at inside linebacker, they’re starting to stack up.
It was the Reuben Foster injury that first made the Washington Redskins short on inside linebacker depth, and since then, the position has been open for competition.
Shaun Dion Hamilton and Jon Bostic constituted the first linebacker duo on the field together. Then Hamilton had a minor cartilage tear in Week 1 and was designated as inactive in Week 2, and Josh Harvey-Clemons took his place.
Harvey-Clemons played very well in Hamilton’s absence, but now, per NBC Sports Mid-Atlantic’s J.P. Finlay, Harvey-Clemons is dealing with a potential concussion. Add that to Cole Holcomb’s lingering shoulder injury, and Washington’s linebacker room isn’t quite game ready.
Depending on the nature of the injuries, the Redskins could have most, if not all, of those players back for the regular season. But for now, they need able bodies. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Redskins have signed Texas undrafted free agent Gary Johnson to supplement their thinning linebacker room.
Johnson is an intriguing player to bring on this late. He was with the Chiefs for a spell this offseason, and while he wasn’t able to stick around there, he has the traits to command some attention in Washington.
Johnson stands at 6-foot-0, 226, and in the 2019 NFL Combine, he rana 4.43 40-yard dash, showing great functional speed as a linebacker. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, however, gave Johnson a Round 7 grade, and several of his notes imply that Johnson’s play speed isn’t as encouraging as his straight-line testing speed.
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Still, Zierlein praised Johnson’s tenacity and his leadership on defense, and also spoke of Johnson as a good key reader. Johnson’s traits suggest that he could be a solid special teams contributor out of the gate. Injuries could force Johnson into a bigger role in preseason, and there, we could see if he has more potential in an NFL setting.