49ers add intriguing linebacker Buddy Johnson to practice squad

The addition of former Steelers linebacker Buddy Johnson is an intriguing practice squad signing for the San Francisco 49ers.

On Monday, the San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of two new players to the team’s practice squad as the regular season comes into view. After working out both players over the weekend (alongside others), the 49ers signed both linebacker Buddy Johnson and offensive lineman Leroy Watson.

Watson was a former signing of the Atlanta Falcons who caught on with the team as a rookie free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. He gives the Niners a developmental prospect who is trying to bulk up to play the line after playing tight end.

As for Johnson, he might already be a known entity for draftniks who would recognize his name as a fourth-round selection for the Pittsburgh Steelers just over a year ago in the 2021 NFL Draft. A former leading tackler for the SEC’s defense, Johnson was a two-year starter for Texas A&M and profiled as a solid run-defender in the second level who could help on special teams.

While with the Steelers, Johnson failed to separate himself enough from the competition to earn the coaching staff’s trust to handle anything more than scant special teams reps, and even then it was due to injuries. When he injured his foot late in the year, it sealed his fate for any real production for his rookie season, and Johnson once again was crowded out this spring by seventh-round rookie Mississippi LB Mark Robinson.

That’s not a good sign for Johnson’s future, but it does show that Pittsburgh felt early on that Johnson was just a bad fit for what they wanted. A new team with a new scheme might find something in Johnson that simply wouldn’t work in Pittsburgh, and coming into the NFL, there was certainly a lot for teams to like about his work in the box. A reliable tackler, Johnson profiles quite well as a four-phase special teams player.