Seahawks bring in P.J. Johnson for a visit as need for a defensive tackle increases

The need for another defensive tackle was hardly a secret. The Seahawks entered training camp down a man from last year’s interior, with Al Woods departing for the Jaguars in free agency.

In Seattle was a shallow group made up of just Jarran Reed, Poona Ford, Bryan Mone, Cedrick Lattimore, and Demarcus Christmas. Within a few days of on-field work starting, both Reed and Ford were forced to sit out due to (as far as we know, not severe) injuries. Regardless of Reed and Ford’s injuries, or the projection of Christmas, a second-year DT who’s running with the first-team in Reed’s absence, the Seahawks will certainly sign a contributor inside before the regular season.

That process may need to be expedited, depending on the status of Seattle’s two banged-up starters. As a result, the Seahawks brought in P.J. Johnson for a visit on Sunday.

A seventh-round pick of the Lions in 2019, the former Arizona Wildcat was waived by Detroit during cuts as a rookie. Johnson remained available for over three months before the Chargers signed him to their practice squad, where he would remain for the rest of the season. A future contract signed in January tied him to L.A. until camp, until he was waived at the start of August.

A big-bodied defensive tackle at 6’3” and 321 pounds, Johnson wouldn’t offer much as far as a pass rusher inside, but could certainly do a job as a 1-tech—where Ford lines up. Though an agreement is yet to be reported between Johnson and Seattle, the team should be expected to continue to search for defensive tackle help until they find it, regardless of Reed and Ford’s timelines.