Backup quarterback battle all set
Leagues was able to get
A journeyman of journeymen, quarterback Josh Johnson has signed with 14 different NFL teams and played for six of them while also spending time in two alternative leagues along the way.
But Johnson, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Broncos over the weekend, isn’t worried about the winding path in his rearview so much as looking at the goal in front of him: To be Denver’s backup quarterback in 2022 behind starter Russell Wilson.
“This was the right opportunity to come compete for the No. 2 spot,” Johnson said. “This is something I’ve been working for a long time to put myself in a position to be.”
Since breaking into the league with Tampa Bay in 2009 as an undrafted rookie out of San Diego, Johnson’s played for the Bucs, Browns, Bengals, Commanders, Jets and Ravens while also seeing action in the United Football League (Sacramento Mountain Lions in 2012) and XFL (Los Angeles Wildcats in 2020). In between those stints in the UFL and XFL, Johnson was the top pick in the Alliance of American Football’s quarterback draft in 2018, though he never ended up playing in the league.
All the side stops gave Johnson time to mature as an athletic-butraw quarterback.
“When I first went to the NFL, I didn’t have a lot of strong fundamental background in regards to what it takes to play in an NFL pocket consistently,” Johnson said. “The XFL allowed me to apply what I had learned in games, and I was able to apply all that growth and I made a lot of strides… I was absorbing a lot of information, but I didn’t really have a lot of physical time with the task. That’s what playing in those other me.”
Despite thinking about quitting the sport “plenty of times,” Johnson kept looking for his next opportunity.
In his eight years in the NFL, he’s appeared in 37 games, with a 1-8 record as a starter. The 35year-old is 205-of-353 passing for 2,270 yards with 13 touchdowns, 16 interceptions and a 70.7 passer rating. He spent last year with the Jets (three games in relief) and Ravens (one start, a Week 16 loss to the Bengals).
Now, the 6-foot-3 Johnson is set to compete against Brett Rypien for the Broncos’ backup quarterback job. Rypien is entering his third season with the Broncos and has appeared in four games, winning his one start against the Jets in Week 4 of 2020. That 37-28 road victory came despite
Rypien throwing three interceptions.
Johnson’s looking forward to the “healthy competition.” In addition to Johnson and Rypien, general manager George Paton could also bring in another quarterback to compete for the No. 2 job in training camp; that may be an undrafted rookie or possibly a flier on a veteran free agent.
“My mindset is all about knowing that you’re one play away, and finding ways to hold yourself to the standard of (a starting quarterback),” Johnson said. “It’s really about kind of tricking your mind, like with every play called you’re going in there and you better be ready to go.”
Footnotes.
The Broncos announced Monday they agreed to terms on a one-year deal with safety J.R. Reed. A third-year pro,
Reed played in 16 games over the past two seasons with the Rams/ Giants, with zero career starts. He adds depth to the defensive backfield and will be a core special teams player as well… Former Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs and ex-vice President of Public Relations Jim Saccomano were both named inaugural winners of the Awards of Excellence by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The awards “recognize significant contributors to the game off the field.” Gibbs was Denver’s offensive line coach for Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII, while Saccomano worked for the team for 36 seasons, leading the team’s P.R. from 1978-2009.