Cincinnati Bengals Work Out Josh Johnson

Mobile quarterbacks are the hottest thing to have in the NFL and the Cincinnati Bengals are on the verge of getting one for themselves. Andy Dalton isn’t anywhere near being usurped as the Bengals starter, but the team did work out Josh Johnson to come in and back him up after losing Bruce Gradkowski to the Steelers on Wednesday.

Johnson has a pretty good chance of landing in Cincinnati, as he has deep ties with offensive coordinator Jay Gruden dating back to the duo’s days in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers. But the main perk of adding Johnson would be his mobility and the Bengals have been looking for an option like that since Read-Option packages are becoming the norm in the NFL.

Johnson wasn’t featured during his time in Tampa Bay or Cleveland but interestingly enough, he was coveted by John Harbaugh before Colin Kaepernick exploded into the star he is right now. Johnson was brought in during the preseason and played for the 49ers through August but was cut before the 53-man roster was finalized.

So for any doubters, Harbaugh’s endorsement of Johnson may say a lot about how underused he may have been during his stints with the Bucs and Browns.

The Bengals apparently haven’t discussed a contract with Johnson yet, but if his workout impressed the right people, Johnson may end up running some interesting packages for a Bengals team that has been on the rise for the last two seasons, and could add a deadly dimension to a growing and talented offense.