Not a knock against him, but journeyman offensive lineman Zack Johnson has little business making the San Francisco 49ers' 53-man roster.
Johnson, 31 years old, is the epitome of a training camp body, someone many a team has added during offseason programs and into preseason action before relegating him to the ranks of a practice squad.
That's where the Niners found him last December, signing him to their practice squad after he previously spent the 2024 preseason with the Cleveland Browns before spending the bulk of the regular season watching football from home.
Before that, the well-traveled lineman had time with the Green Bay Packers, where he originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State in 2020, the Arizona Cardinals, the Denver Broncos, the Baltimore Ravens, the Tennessee Titans and even the UFL's Birmingham Stallions before heading over to Cleveland in 2024. To date, though, he's appeared in just one regular-season game, and that was way back in 2022 with the Titans.
Singed to a reserve/future contract last January, San Francisco could potentially pay him up to $840,000 if he winds up lasting a full season on the active roster.
But, with zero in guaranteed money and a history of being merely a camp body, the likelihood of that happening is about as slim as can be.
The 49ers have essentially one open competition among their starters: left guard, where Ben Bartch seems to be the favorite to replace now-Packers guard Aaron Banks. Additionally, key backup roles remain up for grabs, including at swing tackle and for the interior, yet Johnson figures to be far from the line of top candidates who'd reasonably earn such jobs.
What's likely the outcome is Johnson sees modest field time late in preseason games this August before being included in the wide-sweeping cuts the Niners make in advance of Week 1.
That's been Johnson's trajectory for the bulk of his pro career.
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