Former XFL star and longtime NFL journeyman Josh Johnson has signed a one-year deal with Denver, presumably to back up new franchise QB Russell Wilson. Johnson, 35 had a massively successful run with the Los Angeles Wildcats back in 2020, leading the league in passer rating (106.3) and taking second place in yards (1076) and TD’s (11) to PJ Walker. He went on to play with both the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens in 2021.
In green & white, Johnson put up a valiant 317 yard, 3TD performance versus the Colts, before they moved forward with Zach Wilson, Mike White and Joe Flacco in their QB room. He then ended up in Baltimore to back up Lamar Jackson, and when called on put up 304 yards and 2 TD’s against the Bengals’ super bowl squad.
This season, Josh Johnson continued to prove what he’s already well known for in the football world. He’s an athletic, cerebral backup who can perform well when called upon, regardless of the situation. He’s been called on to hold down the fort when teams run short of options under center, more often then not on very short notice.
I’ll just run through it for fun. He’s played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Sacramento Mountain Lions (UFL), Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Fleet (AAF), Los Angeles Wildcats (XFL), and now the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos are his 14th NFL team, and with a full offseason of prep he’ll be as ready to step in as ever in his career. This QB room now consists of Russell Wilson, Josh Johnson and Brett Rypien, giving them a top-tier franchise QB in his prime, a steady veteran backup who’s capable of coming off the bench, and their longtime understudy at QB3. Not bad, especially considering where they were last year. Kendall Hinton’s still around too.
Russell Wilson is an iron man, and the 3 games he missed last year were the first regular season contests he ever missed in his 10 years in Seattle. However, having a solid option like Johnson at QB2 is a good get for this roster.
Football ultimate journeyman finds a new home in Denver, and stands ready to do whatever the team might need of him.
