The Bethel Johnson Signing is a good deal if…

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The Eagles have announced the signing of free agent WR Bethel Johnson. Johnson, a second-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2003, spent last season in Minnesota after being cut by the New Orleans Saints.

Great.

Johnson’s career statistics mirror the ones that Donte’ Stallworth put up in 2006 alone.

Again, great.

In the Eagles defense, though, they likely did not sign Johnson to replace Stallworth. Instead, he provides good competition for second-year kick returner Jeremy Bloom, who needs to show he can be the playmaker the Eagles envisioned when they used a fifth-round pick on him last spring. If the Eagles expectations are that Johnson can be a fifth receiver and viable threat as a return man should Bloom not pan out, then this is a good signing. If they believe that they have found a steal that can replace Stallworth as a legitimate deep threat, then they are fooling themselves.

Johnson, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, is noted for his blazing speed. Still, he only has 39 career receptions for 606 yards and 4 touchdowns in four seasons, which suggests he isn’t likely to make much of an impact at receiver. The low-risk and low-cost signing (surprise surprise) may turn out to be a good one, though, as long as the Eagles have the right expectations for Johnson.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2007 at 7:13 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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