As NFL teams trim their rosters down to 53, it’s a big time for trades, with teams swapping a lot of bottom-of-the-roster players. The Jacksonville Jaguars are no different and they recently sent left tackle Fred Johnson back to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick.
Johnson signed with the Jaguars this offseason on a one-year, $1.137 million deal. It’s a little surprising that the Eagles let him walk for that little because, believe it or not, their offensive line depth isn’t as great as people tend to think it is.
And last year, Johnson actually shut down Cincinnati Bengals sack specialist Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks last year, but Johnson gave up only one pressure all day in their Week 8 win over the Bengals.
The trading of Johnson means that the Jaguars like their depth at tackle. The fact that they were willing to part with him for a seventh-round pick means that he was probably going to be cut.
Fred Johnson shut down Hendrickson
By just about any metric, Johnson did a number on Hendrickson. Surely, this was the guy that they were hoping they signed this offseason.
“Filling in at left tackle for the injured Jordan Mailata, Johnson shut down one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL and then got a chance to swap jerseys with him after the Eagles’ 37-17 win over the Bengals,” writes Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“I think I did good,” Johnson said of his battle with Hendrickson. “A lot of things to improve on. A lot of things to celebrate. But back to the drawing board this week, watch the film, get it corrected and move on.”
Johnson started six games last year for the Super Bowl champion Eagles and is now reunited with offensive line coaching guru Jeff Stoutland.
Jaguars like their offensive tackles
Jaguars’ general manager James Gladstone made offensive line a priority this past offseason, making six additions between free agency and the NFL Draft. They envisioned Johnson as a swing tackle, but that didn’t happen obviously.
“Presumably starting at left tackle will be Walker Little,” write Paul Bretl of Jaguars Wire. “On the right side of the line, one of Chuma Edoga, Patrick Mekari, or Anton Harrison will be coming off the bench, and all three can line up at the tackle position.
“Beyond those four players, the Jaguars just drafted Wyatt Milum, who may be an interior player at the NFL level but has ample tackle experience during his college career. This trade may also be a sign that Cole Van Lanen is getting healthy, and he’s another player who can fill in on both sides of the line.”
Johnson was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Florida in 2019. He has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Eagles. He’s appeared in 62 regular-season games with 14 starts.
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