Seattle Seahawks: Josh Johnson visit signals need for depth

The Seattle Seahawks brought in veteran quarterback Josh Johnson for a visit. The team may be looking for another backup to boost the depth behind Russell Wilson.

The Seattle Seahawks have a quarterback problem. No, it’s not an issue with Russell Wilson, but rather with his backups. The Seahawks have a glaring lack of depth behind Wilson. Luckily for them, Wilson has never missed a start in his career and has shown the ability to avoid or play through injuries. Even so, all teams need to be ready for their most crucial starters to go down. In the NFL injuries happed randomly and often.

The team brought in Josh Johnson, who was cut by the Oakland Raiders in May, for a visit. Johnson was originally a fifth-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has been on 12 different teams’ rosters since entering the league. During his career he has played in 29 games with five of those being starts, all five of which he lost.

He has not played in a regular season game since 2014. Actually, Johnson hasn’t had a pass attempt since the 2011 season when he was still in Tampa Bay. It’s safe to say the 32 year old isn’t exactly a guarantee to sign with the Seahawks.

The visit clearly signals that the Seahawks are not satisfied with their current backup quarterback situation. Right now, the team has veteran Austin Davis and rookie Alex McGough as Wilson’s only backups.

Davis has been in the league since 2012. He saw significant action in 2014 and played sparingly in 2015. He actually threw for 2,001 yards in ten games (eight starts) in 2014. As for McGough, he’s a seventh round pick out of Florida International where he played for four years, posting a career high 2,798 passing yards in his senior season.

There was a small outcry on Twitter when football fans heard that Johnson has been brought in for a visit. Many felt that the more experienced Colin Kaepernick should’ve been brought in instead. The fact that Johnson, a career backup and journeyman, was brought in over Kaepernick — who had the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl at one point — makes it pretty obvious the team will not pursue the former second-round pick unless something drastic happens.

Besides Kaepernick, the best remaining free agent quarterbacks include: Derek Anderson, Kellen Clemens, Jay Cutler, Matt Moore, Mark Sanchez, Scott Tolzien and T.J. Yates. Most of these quarterbacks have more experience and success than Johnson and would probably be looked at as more favorable signings. Moore actually saw action in four games last season (two starts) and threw for 861 yards, 215.3 yards per game. If the Seahawks are looking for a reliable backup, he should be highly considered.