Former New England Patriots defensive tackle Eric Johnson II has already signed with a new team after being cut on Wednesday.
The former Patriots defender was claimed off waivers on Thursday by the Indianapolis Colts, who drafted Johnson in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Patriots parted ways with the young defensive lineman after signing veteran running back Trayveon Williams.
Johnson spent the first two years of his NFL career in Indianapolis before the Colts waived him last summer. He had 18 combined tackles, three quarterback hits, a tackle for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery across 28 games
That said, the 6-foot-4, 299-pound defender wasn’t a free agent for long as he was immediately claimed off waivers by the Patriots last August ahead of the 53-man roster deadline.
Last season, Johnson II played 11 games with the Pats, recording 17 combined tackles. He saw 178 defensive tackles snaps (second-most of his career) and got some reps on special teams (37 snaps).
Despite not having impressive stats, Johnson still had a 58.3 pass rush grade (119th among 219 defensive linemen) and a 50.4 run defense grade (120th).
Nonetheless, with Johnson returning to the Colts, New England’s defensive tackle room consists of Christian Barmore, rookie Joshua Farmer, and Jahvaree Ritzie (undrafted free agent). Then, at the nose tackle spot, the Pats have Khyiris Tonga (free-agent signing) and Jaequelin Roy.
According to the Pats’ depth chart on Ourlads.com, Roy was slotted as the third-string nose tackle behind Johnson, so his chances to make the roster likely improved with Johnson’s release.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see if Johnson sticks with the Colts on his second stint with them and who wins the nose and defensive tackles jobs with the Patriots this summer.
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