After more than 10 days, the Cincinnati Bengals finally are on the board in free agency.
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Josh Johnson is joining the team as the presumptive No. 2 quarterback behind Andy Dalton, the team announced Saturday. The Bengals have done a nice job retaining their key players, but they clearly were not looking to spend big bucks at backup quarterback.
The team went after former Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but he went to the Tennessee Titans. Last year's backup, Bruce Gradkowski, signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson showed promise while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, working under current Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden while they were both there. But it's not a great sign for Johnson's pro prospects that his former college coach, Jim Harbaugh, cut Johnson last year during his stint with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Bengals have done a nice job retaining their own talent: Cornerback Adam Jones, plus defensive linemen Michael Johnson, Wallace Wilberry, and Robert Geathers are all staying put. Now that Johnson is aboard, the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys (?!) are the only two teams not to sign a free agent from another team this offseason.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
