As you’re probably aware by now former Los Angeles Wildcats quarterback Josh Johnson joined the San Francisco 49ers practice squad Nov. 11. Since then, it’s a bit of a rocky road. On December 22nd, Johnson was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list.
Luckily, today we’re learning from the 49ers that receiver Kevin White and Josh Johnson have been removed from the COVID-19 list and restored both to the practice squad.
Johnson’s placement on the list forced the 49ers to sign Josh Rosen from the Buccaneers’ practice squad to backup C.J. Beathard on Sunday.
On November 22, 2019, Johnson was allocated to the Los Angeles Wildcats as part of the 2020 XFL Draft. On November 25, 2019, the Detroit Lions tried to re-sign Johnson but the XFL did not allow him to leave his contract with the Wildcats.. Despite the Wildcats finishing 2–3 in the 5 game COVID-19 pandemic shortened season season in 2020, Johnson performed admirably in 4 games (missing week 1 with an injury) by converting 60% of his passes, completing 81 out of 135 attempts for 1,076 yards for 11 touchdowns against only 2 interceptions for a QB rating of 106.3. As a result, Johnson was named the highest graded quarterback in the XFL by Pro Football Focus.
It’s great to see Johnson rebound so quickly, we’re hoping to see him continue his career either in the NFL or when the XFL returns in 2022.
