It looked like offensive lineman Fred Johnson was coming back to the Cincinnati Bengals after spending three seasons with the franchise in need of all the O-line help it could get.
But something happened Tuesday morning that made him go from re-signing with the AFC champs to hitting the waiver wire … in under an hour.
Let’s explain: Johnson was a restricted free agent this offseason, and at 9:30 AM ET the Bengals announced he was back and re-signed.
Nearly 30 minutes later, it was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Johnson … was being waived. That came after the team sign ex-Cowboys tackle La’el Collins, which might explain what happened here.
Roster Update: We've re-signed restricted free agent OT Fred Johnson to a one-year contract for the 2022 season. pic.twitter.com/IZzK6ctFFZ
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 22, 2022
A unique one: Bengals now waiving OL Fred Johnson, per source. Johnson recently signed his restricted free agent tender, but after signing OT La’el Collins, the Bengals have decided to waive Johnson, who can be claimed on waivers. So teams and players can, and do, change minds. https://t.co/BHOA9Gd8zp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 22, 2022
The tl;dr:
Fred Johnson today: pic.twitter.com/ksdM0uCLgU
— Eli Apple Stan 🤠💯 (@bengalsheadline) March 22, 2022
Not something you see every day!