The Carolina Panthers on Friday finally made an impact signing as, according to Mike Cranston of the Associated Press, they came to terms with former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Landon Johnson on a three-year, $10 million deal – which includes a $3 million signing bonus; Johnson spent the last 4 seasons in Cincinnati, where he played all 3 LB positions in the 4-3 scheme that he will be involved in at Carolina. During the last 2 years, Johnson recorded 112 and 109 tackles, respectively, and could unseat incumbent Na’il Diggs as the Panthers starter at outside LB.
Johnson visited the Panthers on Thursday and agreed to the deal on Friday morning; despite the loss of Dan Morgan, the Panthers shored up their LB corps, and as a result, it may very well be a strength of the team. Especially if you include Jon Beason and Thomas Davis into the mix; add Johnson and you have the likely starting LB’s for Carolina this coming season.