As Minnesota Vikings fans were patiently waiting for an update about free-agent wide receiver Jauan Jennings possibly signing with the purple and gold, the team revealed a move that no one was expecting.
While the dust is still settling from the 2026 NFL Draft, the Vikings announced on Wednesday that the team has signed free-agent defensive lineman Eric Johnson II.
Johnson isn't someone who had been on anyone's radar before signing with Minnesota, and rightfully so, since he only has 41 career tackles since entering the league back in 2022.
Minnesota Vikings add veteran DL Eric Johnson II to 2026 roster
Johnson's career in the NFL began in 2022 after the Indianapolis Colts selected him with a fifth-round pick. He wound up appearing in 14 games in his rookie season with the Colts, but he was only on the field for 13 percent of the team's defensive snaps, and he finished with just three tackles.
In 2023, Johnson's defensive snap rate more than doubled, and it led to him ending up with 15 tackles and one sack in 14 appearances with Indianapolis. It seemed like he was heading in the right direction with his development.
Unfortunately, Johnson's career hit a speed bump in 2024 when the Colts decided not to include him on their final 53-man roster. Luckily, he was claimed on waivers by the New England Patriots the very next day.
Johnson's 2024 season with the Patriots was similar to the 2023 campaign that he had with Indianapolis, as he finished with just 17 tackles in 11 appearances.
In 2025, he found his way back to the Colts, and he wound up appearing in another 12 games last season for the team that drafted him.
Johnson has good size at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, and he has elite athletic traits. Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft, his testing numbers resulted in a 9.39 Relative Athletic Score, which ranked 90th out of 1,459 defensive tackles from 1987 to 2022.
For whatever reason, though, Johnson just hasn't been able to use his size and athleticism to earn a more consistent role with a team during his pro career.
The chances of this happening for him in Minnesota don't seem high, especially after they just added Caleb Banks and Dominique Orange in this year's NFL Draft. But perhaps the Vikings' coaching staff can help him perform at a level he hasn't been able to reach yet since entering the league.
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