Bengals Officially With Tank Johnson

Bengals Officially Announce Signing Of Tank Johnson

The Cincinnati Bengals have officially announced the signing of one player, while many fans await word on at least one other.

On Thursday, the team announced they have re-signed defensive tackle Tank Johnson, who was a free agent. The announcement comes three days after Johnson posted a message on Twitter stating he had agreed to terms with the Bengals on a new contract.

Johnson played in 14 games with 13 starts in 2009 for Cincinnati. He will be entering his seventh season in the NFL in 2010.

Johnson signed with the Bengals as a free agent before the 2009 season and finished with 39 tackles and two sacks.

He is a player with a track record of providing pressure up the middle, he has 14 career sacks and 2.5 more sacks in postseason play. He has 86 games of NFL experience, plus six games with four starts in postseason play.

“Signing Tank now is a positive step for both him and the defensive team,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “He was a very consistent performer last season and was a big part of our improved run defense. He is a tough-minded man who is a great pro during the week and brings a great competitive attitude to the field on Sunday.”

Cincinnati finished fourth overall in defense last season, seventh against the run.

Johnson battled through a foot injury last season and started the last 11 contests. He played in the AFC Wild Card game against the New York Jets and tied for the team lead in tackles with 10 in that game.

On Wednesday, it was reported by many outlets that Cincinnati agreed to a four-year contract with free agent wide receiver Antonio Bryant. Earlier in the day, Terrell Owens left Cincinnati after meeting with Bengals officials. Chad Ochocinco has been publically lobbying for his employer to sign Owens, but it looks like that ship has sailed.

Cincinnati did announce on Wednesday the re-signing of tight end Dan Coats.

The Bengals have yet to officially announce the signing of Bryant, but in this day in age, news usually breaks before teams actually confirm it.