Redskins To Sign QB Josh Johnson
The Redskins reached agreement on a deal with quarterback Josh Johnson, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Johnson auditioned alongside several other QBs on Tuesday and emerged as the best option of the bunch. 
Johsnon now becomes the Redskins’ second healthy quarterback, joining Mark Sanchez. After losing both Alex Smith and Colt McCoy to injury, the Redskins are hoping to get by, somehow, with a duo of journeymen.
Johnson, 29, was quickly chosen over E.J. Manuel, T.J. Yates, Landry Jones, and Ryan Mallett, but the Redskins had some hurdles to clear first. Johnson was the first pick of the AAF’s San Diego franchise just last week, but AAF co-founder Bill Polian confirmed that Johnson will be released from his deal so that he can sign with Washington.
Sanchez struggled against the Eagles last week, but he’ll start this week against the Giants as the Redskins fight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Johnson, who has history with coach Jay Gruden thanks to their time in Tampa and Cincinnati, might have an opportunity to get in the game if Sanchez falters again.
Redskins Hope To Sign QB Josh Johnson
Following season-ending injuries to starting quarterback Alex Smith and backup Colt McCoy, the Redskins are naturally seeking some help behind Mark Sanchez. We learned earlier today that the team was set to audition a handful of signal-callers, and now there are two more names to add to the list. JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports (via Twitter) that Washington will work out quarterbacks Landry Jones and Ryan Mallett today.
However, it sounds like the organization already has their eye on one quarterback in particular: Josh Johnson. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins are hoping to sign the veteran. There are some hurdles that both sides need to overcome, including Johnson’s status as the recent number-one overall pick of the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football.
The 32-year-old Johnson has bounced around the NFL and UFL since being selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. The veteran’s last NFL action came in 2013, when he ran for 20 yards on seven carries in two games with the Bengals (he didn’t attempt a pass during his time in Cincy). His last extended look came back in 2011 during his final year in Tampa, when he completed 19 of his 36 pass attempts for 246 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions (to go along with 67 rushing yards).
Working in Johnson’s favor is his relative familiarity with the Redskins’ system. Head coach Jay Gruden was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator during Johnson’s stint in Cincinnati, and Gruden was also an offensive assistant with the Buccaneers during the quarterback’s rookie campaign. Johnson is obviously a different game manager than both Smith and McCoy, but the Redskins may be enticed by the free agent’s presumed ability to quickly learn the playbook.
Mallett had spent the past three seasons in Baltimore as Joe Flacco‘s backup, but he’s yet to find a new gig since hitting free agency. Meanwhile, Jones had a brief stint with the Jaguars this season, although he didn’t end up seeing the field for Jacksonville. The team is also reportedly set to audition E.J. Manuel, T.J. Yates, and others.
Redskins To Work Out Free Agent QBs
After losing their top two quarterbacks to injury, the Redskins are in the market for another signal caller. The Redskins will once again audition E.J. Manuel, T.J. Yates, Josh Johnson, and others as they look to support de facto starter Mark Sanchez, coach Jay Gruden announced. 
Naturally, reporters pressed Gruden on whether Colin Kaepernick is or was a consideration for the team. Gruden acknowledged that Kaepernick was discussed, but it doesn’t sound as though he was a real candidate for the Redskins.
“[There’s] not a lot of time to get a brand new QB and a system installed and taught in a couple days. He’s been talked about and discussed, but we’ll probably go in a different direction,” Gruden said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s John Keim).
Backup Colt McCoy stepped in when Alex Smith was lost to a scary leg injury, but McCoy was knocked out of action this week when he suffered a broken fibula of his own. McCoy is holding out hope that he can return in a matter of weeks, but that will be a moot point unless Sanchez can lead the Redskins to a winning streak that will put them in the playoff mix.
The 6-6 Redskins have a 26% chance of reaching the playoffs and a 7% chance of bypassing the Cowboys and Eagles for the divisional crown. It’ll be an uphill battle, however, with Sanchez under center behind a depleted offensive line.
Seahawks Work Out QB Josh Johnson
The Seahawks will work out quarterback Josh Johnson on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Johnson was most recently with the Raiders, though his stint in Oakland lasted only a couple of months. 
Johnson has not thrown a pass in a game since 2011, but he’s remained on rosters as a backup. Last year, the Texans added him after Deshaun Watson‘s season-ending injury. He’s traveled all over since 2009 and has taken snaps for the Bucs, Browns, Bengals, and 49ers.
The Seahawks’ QB depth chart currently consists of star Russell Wilson, backup Austin Davis, and seventh-round pick Alex McGough. The Seahawks obviously like McGough after selecting him just a few months ago, but they may feel that they can sign a veteran such as Johnson, sneak McGough through waivers, and then sign the rookie to the practice squad.
Raiders Cut QB Josh Johnson
The Raiders have cut veteran quarterback Josh Johnson, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It was a short stay in Oakland for the veteran as he was signed less than two months ago.
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Johnson was one of Jon Gruden‘s final draft picks as the Buccaneers’ head coach. Despite Gruden’s nostalgic streak, there apparently wasn’t room for Johnson on the roster moving forward.
The Raiders’ QB depth chart is headlined by starter Derek Carr followed by E.J. Manuel and Connor Cook. It stands to reason that the Raiders will look into adding a fourth QB as a camp arm. It’s not yet clear who the Raiders are looking to sign, but 46-year-old Kurt Warner is down to play if Gruden wants to continue adding veterans (we’re kidding…we think).
Johnson has not thrown a pass in a game since 2011, but he’s remained on rosters as a backup. Most recently, the Texans added him after Deshaun Watson‘s injury.
Raiders Sign QB Josh Johnson
One of Jon Gruden‘s final draft picks as Buccaneers head coach was a fifth-round selection of Josh Johnson in 2008, and the quarterback still being active opened the door to a reunion now that Gruden is coaching again.
The Raiders signed Johnson on Monday, according to agent Doug Hendrickson (Twitter link). An Oakland native, Johnson will return to his hometown and rejoin a Gruden staff to continue a nomadic career.
While Johnson has not thrown a pass in a game since 2011, he’s remained on rosters as a backup. Most recently, the Texans added him after Deshaun Watson‘s injury. Johnson’s rookie year came under Gruden, but he didn’t throw his first NFL pass until 2009.
The 31-year-old signal-caller could be in line to become Oakland’s third-string quarterback, behind Derek Carr and Connor Cook.
Texans Sign QB Josh Johnson
With the Texans suffering more injuries to their quarterback depth chart on Monday, the team has signed veteran signal caller Josh Johnson for their regular season finale, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Houston placed safety Corey Moore on injured reserve with a sprained medial collateral ligament to make room for Johnson on the active roster.
Texans QB’s T.J. Yates and Taylor Heinicke both suffered concussions in the team’s blowout loss to the Steelers in Week 16. While Yates was able to return to the game after Heinicke was forced to exit, Houston obviously wanted more insurance on the roster to able to take some snaps should another injury occur this weekend.
At 31 years old, Johnson hasn’t seen regular season playing time since 2013 with the Bengals. His most extensive game action came in 2009 with the Bucs as the former fifth round pick completed 63 of 125 pass attempts for four touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Johnson has been a journeyman QB for most of his career was cut by the Giants before the start of this regular season. He had since signed with the Texans in the middle of the year before being released in November.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Carlton Agudosi
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
- Signed: DE Tyrone Holmes
- Placed on IR: DT Jamie Meder
Houston Texans
- Waived: QB Josh Johnson (according to agent Doug Hendrickson, on Twitter)
- Signed: WR Cobi Hamilton
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: TE Johnny Mundt
New England Patriots
- Signed off Bills’ practice squad: OLB Eric Lee
Washington Redskins
- Placed on IR: G Shaun Lauvao
Colts Place Andrew Luck On IR
The Colts are placing Andrew Luck on IR and commencing a shutdown of their franchise quarterback, the team announced.
Luck told the team’s website he’s “very optimistic” about his future, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets Luck’s being shut down on the recommendation of several doctors. He adds this is not being viewed as a career-ending injury.
“I wish I was better and 100 percent this season, but that’s not the case,” Luck said. “I know I’ll be better from this. I know I’ll be a better quarterback, teammate, person and player from this, and I’m excited for the future.”
Luck had a cortisone injection done in his shoulder to help the pain he began experiencing after resuming workouts, and he hadn’t practiced since. Although Luck’s timetable was murky for most of this season, Chris Ballard said (via Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral, on Twitter) the team did not attempt to mislead and called this a fluid situation. Ballard said Luck’s soreness did not calm down after the injection, but the rookie GM did not say another surgery was on tap (Twitter links, via Chappell).
However, Ballard won’t put a time frame on when Luck will again resume throwing (Twitter link, via Chappell).
Ballard also said (via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter) he hasn’t heard from one doctor that this is a career-ending injury. The Colts as of now are planning on Luck being ready for the 2018 season, per Ballard (via Chappell, on Twitter).
“We’re going to exhaust all resources because the best interest is the player,” Chuck Pagano said. “It’s long-term, and we said that. It’s for the next 10, 12 years for this guy and for any player. Before we put anybody out there, we’re going to make sure he’s right so we’re going to stick to that process.”
Luck’s injury could have affected Pagano significantly. It’s unlikely he’ll get to coach Luck again. The Colts are 2-6 after consecutive seasons without playoff berths, and given that Ballard did not hire him, the sixth-year Indianapolis coach looms as an obvious Black Monday candidate.
Ballard confirmed the Colts attempted to sign quarterbacks during the summer when it looked like Luck was not going to be ready in time for this season, but the recent GM hire said (Twitter links, via Holder) the team didn’t find anyone it liked and the situation ended up being stabilized once Jacoby Brissett arrived. Ballard did say (via Chappell, on Twitter) he regrets waiting until September to trade for Brissett. Although, it’s uncertain if the Patriots would have pulled the trigger much earlier since he was a candidate to make their roster — one that housed a deeper wideout corps prior to Julian Edelman‘s injury, one that induced the Pats to acquire Phillip Dorsett — during training camp. Brissett is signed through the 2019 season.
The Colts attempted to sign Nate Sudfeld off the Eagles’ practice squad this week, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets, but they worked out four other quarterbacks late last month. The Eagles promoted Sudfeld to their active roster on Wednesday. Rapoport notes (on Twitter) Josh Johnson is likely to be the player signed to fill Luck’s roster spot.
Indianapolis’ brass continued to push back Luck’s timetable after his January surgery, much like the Bill Polian-led regime did with Peyton Manning‘s in 2011, and this will end up being the second time in seven seasons the team will have had to redshirt its franchise quarterback.
Luck, though, is obviously in no danger of being cut after this season. However, this shoulder problem lingered for two years, with Albert Breer of SI.com noting (on Twitter) he played through injury for two years and is paying for it now. Luck missed nine games in 2015 but missed just one last season, and the 2016 absence was because of a concussion. The Colts have not advanced to the playoffs since Luck’s third season.
The Colts will now turn things over to Brissett as Luck’s rehab shifts toward the long-term.
NFC Notes: Giants, Saints, Bears, Vikings
Veteran signal-caller Josh Johnson is likely to emerge as the Giants‘ backup quarterback in 2017, which means free agent signee Geno Smith is in danger of being released, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Johnson spent the entire 2016 campaign with Big Blue, and though he was only for two games, he earned the trust of Giants’ coaches. New York, meanwhile, would only incur $325K in dead money by parting ways with Smith. Third-round pick Davis Webb, of course, is slated to open the season as the Giants’ third-string quarterback.
- The Saints have now signed every member of their 2017 draft class aside from first-round offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, and the Wisconsin product’s deal is on hold until he can pass a physical, reports Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter links). Ramczyk, the 32nd overall selection, is dealing with a hip issue. New Orleans had been one of two clubs (along with the Rams) that hadn’t signed a draft pick before yesterday, and the reason for that delay was fiscal. The Saints picked up $7.8MM in cap space Thursday when Jairus Byrd‘s post-June 1 release was officially processed, giving the team a bit more breathing room to sign its rookies.
- While the Bears “would like nothing more” than to extend left tackle Charles Leno, it’s unclear if Chicago plans to open contract talks before the season gets underway, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. Leno, 25, is certainly a success story, as the former seventh-round pick has started 32 games for the Bears over the past two seasons. He’s steadily improved, as well, and last year graded as the No. 41 tackle among 78 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Chicago will get a relative bargain on Leno in 2017, as he’s due a base salary of only $1.797MM. A long-term deal could easily take Leno over the $10MM per year barrier, if not higher.
- Michael Floyd‘s one-year deal with the Vikings doesn’t contain any guaranteed money, but the veteran wideout can earn a pay bump through several incentives, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com details. If Floyd maxes out his incentive-based by reaching 70 catches, 1,000 yards, or 12 touchdowns, he’ll bring in an extra $4.6MM. The bonuses start at $1.5MM, which Floyd can earn by hitting 40 receptions, 500 yards, or six touchdowns. None of that incentive money is on Minnesota’s salary cap for now, as it’s all considered “not likely to be earned” because Floyd didn’t reach even the lowest thresholds in 2016. Additionally, Floyd could struggle to hit the top rung of his incentive ladder given that he’s expected to face a suspension in 2017.