Patriots sign former Buc CB Leonard Johnson

[patsinthesnow]

@dougkyed
The Patriots signed CB Leonard Johnson. He had a locker at Gillette Stadium.

On September 2, 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed Johnson on Season-ending Injury Reserve.[4] On December 3, 2015, Johnson was waived by the Buccaneers from Injured Reserve.[5]​

I remember him from Iowa State. This kid can actually play for a 3rd/4th CB.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Not PS eligible so it has to be to the active roster. PS roster spot still open.

 

[PatsFan2]

With That very Dangerous Pittsburgh Steeler Team you never have enough CB's.

 

[Gronkowski123]

someone mentioned that qb's had a rating of 130 when targeting this guy

get the idea that johnson stinks.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Meh.

This is from 2012 but I don't think he improved that much since then...?

Secret Superstar: Leonard Johnson

 

[Todd Bradley]

someone mentioned that qb's had a rating of 130 when targeting this guy

get the idea that johnson stinks.

There's no elite CBs on the market with four games left in the regular season.

A guy like Johnson (decent player, career derailed by an injury) is the type of swing for the fences move you make unless you want one of Rashaan Melvin/Bradley Fletcher/Robert McClain on your team.

I'll take Johnson's potential over those JAGs any day.

 

[deters]

someone mentioned that qb's had a rating of 130 when targeting this guy

get the idea that johnson stinks.

Or he had terrible coaching...

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

someone mentioned that qb's had a rating of 130 when targeting this guy

get the idea that johnson stinks.

If he was Revis Tampa would have carried him. But we are looking for a CB that is better, quicker and faster, than Chung to play CB3 or CB4 behind Butler, Ryan and Coleman. Chung and T Wilson have been much better than expected IMHO, but they are only a stopgap.

 

[mgteich]

Johnson is likely an upgrade over Melvin as our #4 CB.

 

[BradyFTW!]

His combine measurables suggest "poor man's Logan Ryan". My guess is that he ends up being not very good and doesn't contribute much of anything to the CB rotation, but who knows. Belichick has a demonstrated an ability to find rotational contributors from back-of-the-roster types like this, maybe this will be the latest example. His in-game performance has been better than his measurables, so maybe (also like Ryan) he has solid instincts that make up for unimpressive measurables.

Johnson's also a tick under 5'10, which means that as of now we don't have any CBs over 5'11. Won't hurt us most weeks, but if we get hit with another Chris Matthews-type performance during the playoffs this year, we won't have any big bodies to shift over to them. Hopefully that doesn't end up coming back to hurt us.

 

[raduray]

Interesting. A player on Season-ending IR cannot return to his team, but he can be released and sign with another team?

 

[JMC00]

Interesting. A player on Season-ending IR cannot return to his team, but he can be released and sign with another team?

Key part in that whole thing is "released"

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Or he had terrible coaching...

We've done well with other Tampa cast offs in the past..................

 

[manxman2601]

Another for the ex-Schiano secondary. I remember Justin Blackmon calling Johnson the "most physical corner I've faced" back in his college days.

 

[FCB02062]

poor man's stacy toran....

for you young whipper snappers, stacy toran was a cb for oakland/la raiders...he was nicknamed "toast"....

toran passed in a car accident in 89....

 

[JMC00]

Johnson's also a tick under 5'10, which means that as of now we don't have any CBs over 5'11. Won't hurt us most weeks, but if we get hit with another Chris Matthews-type performance during the playoffs this year, we won't have any big bodies to shift over to them. Hopefully that doesn't end up coming back to hurt us.

So you think that Melvin gave the Pats a better chance at stopping some Chris Matthews performance because he was 6' 2"?

Chris Matthews performance had mostly to do with Arrington getting exposed on the outside like he always did and then them playing off-man coverage down inside the 10 yard line on his TD catch.

 

[patsinthesnow]

From what I'm reading, I hope this was a 2 yr contract that BB sometimes gives out (Blount, Damaris for example).

A small, man to man/press slot CB with some good film in 2012/2013 who was bad in Lovie's zone scheme in 2014 & got injured before the 2015 season.

 

[luuked]

Interesting. A player on Season-ending IR cannot return to his team, but he can be released and sign with another team?

someone correct me if I am wrong but a player can even resign with the team that Put him on IR after a set amount of time (6 weeks ? 8 weeks ?). Release with injury settlement makes it all possible.

 

[manxman2601]

Another for the ex-Schiano secondary. I remember Justin Blackmon calling Johnson the "most physical corner I've faced" back in his college days.

Johnson (#23) versus Blackmon

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Johnson (#23) versus Blackmon

Lol getting abused because of his height on jump balls. Reminds me of wilhite and Wheatley