DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 26: Kerryon Johnson #33 of the Detroit Lions runs for a first down during the first quarter of the game against Tampa Bay at Ford Field on December 26, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. Tampa defeated Detroit 47-7 (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Former Lions running back Kerryon Johnson is still looking for a job, and on Tuesday he worked out for another NFC North team.
Kerryon Johnson landed with the Philadelphia Eagles after the Detroit Lions waived him in May. Then in August, he was waived with an injury designation. Next stop was San Francisco, who signed him to their practice squad and then had him on their active roster for a couple games. He saw action in one game–with nine special teams snaps in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers.
The 49ers waived Johnson in early October. In November, in back-to-back weeks, he had workouts with the New Orleans Saints and the Packers as injuries hit their running back depth charts. But Johnson has remained available.
Kerryon Johnson has work out with another NFC North team
With running back Dalvin Cook (shoulder) facing a multi-game absence, and with no proven depth behind fill-in starter Alexander Mattison, the Minnesota Vikings wouldn’t be blamed for looking at available running backs. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Johnson was in Minnesota for a workout on Tuesday.
Johnson was a second-round pick by the Lions in 2018, and he was pretty productive (5.4 yards per carry; 32 receptions) before a knee injury cost him the final six games of his rookie season. A knee issue also cost him half of his second season, as his yards per carry average dropped to 3.6. He actually played all 16 games for the Lions last season, but only had 52 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns as D’Andre Swift and Adrian Peterson took most of the backfield work.
Johnson is still just 24 years old, so it seems like it shouldn’t be hard for him to find another opportunity. But he is apparently only on the emergency/work out list of free agent running backs when teams get hit by injury, and his NFL career is quickly teetering on the brink of being done.