Seahawks Hopeful P.J. Johnson Can Bolster Defensive Line Rotation

Seeking depth at defensive tackle, the Seahawks opted to bypass more notable veteran free agents at the position to instead sign Johnson, who has been a pleasant surprise in his first week with the team.

RENTON, WA - During the early stages of training camp, the Seahawks received quite the scare in their third practice, as projected starting defensive tackle Jarran Reed and Poona Ford both exited with undisclosed injuries and did not return.

Luckily, neither injury appeared to be serious, though Ford hasn't practiced since then as he recovers from a calf strain. Reed only missed a pair of practices before returning and participated in Saturday's mock scrimmage.

Already entering the new season with depth and experience concerns at the position, losing either player for extensive time would have been catastrophic for Seattle. Behind Reed and Ford, only Bryan Mone has ever played in an NFL regular season game, while Demarcus Christmas missed his entire rookie season and undrafted rookie Cedrick Lattimore had never even practiced with an NFL team before August 12.

Coach Pete Carroll has expressed confidence in the group, particularly in Mone making a major leap forward in his second season. Still, many expected the Seahawks to add a notable veteran to the mix at some point in camp. Over the past few months, former All-Pro defenders Damon "Snacks" Harrison and Marcell Dareus have been linked to the team.

But with Ford sidelined, rather than add a notable veteran such as Harrison or Dareus, Seattle instead signed second-year defensive tackle P.J. Johnson, who previously had worked out for the team earlier in camp.

After bouncing around with Sacramento State and City College of San Francisco, Johnson broke out with 31 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and 8.5 tackles for loss in his lone season at Arizona. Earning honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors, he opted to declare early for the NFL draft and was selected by Detroit with the 229th selection in the seventh round.

After not dressing for a single regular season game in 2019, Johnson won't address concerns about lack of experience for the Seahawks at defensive tackle. He spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad for the Lions and Chargers, failing to earn a promotion to either active roster.

But since his arrival last week, Johnson has made a noticeable impact on Seattle's defense in practice, particularly defending the run. At 335 pounds, he provides excellent size in the middle that the team had been missing after losing Al Woods in free agency. Just as he did at Arizona, he's shown the ability to be disruptive in the trenches, finding his way into the backfield occasionally to make a play.

Having only seen him for a handful of practices, Carroll told reporters on Monday the Seahawks are "still trying to figure that out" in regard to where Johnson fits up front. But he's been encouraged by his efforts thus far and loves the size he adds to the equation as a possible rotational nose tackle.

"Hasn't had enough turns yet [to evaluate]," Carroll commented. "But he's working real hard at it. He's a big kid and plays inside - strictly at tackle - and we'd like him on the center more than anything else. But it's not enough time or plays logged yet to know."

Without preseason games, Johnson will have to continue impressing with his limited reps on the practice field while competing against Mone, Christmas, and Lattimore. Once Ford returns to action, which could be as early as Monday, those opportunities will be cut into further and he will have to make every snap count.

There's also the outside chance Seattle could still pursue a veteran at the last minute such as Harrison or Dareus, who each remain unsigned heading towards September.

If the first few weeks of camp and Carroll's prior comments are any indication, however, the Seahawks seem content with entering the season with a young, unproven defensive tackle group. Assuming no other additions are made, Johnson should have an excellent chance to earn himself a roster spot and set himself up to potentially make his NFL debut in Week 1 at Atlanta.