Pro Football Focus will be providing analysis for every major NFL signing and trade during the 2015 free-agency period, accounting primarily for the quality of the player and his fit with his new team, and focusing less on the financial terms of the deal.
Here is a grade for the deal between defensive lineman Michael Johnson and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Grade articles on every major deal
Cincinnati Bengals: C-plus
After a yearlong hiatus in Tampa Bay, Johnson returns to the Bengals, where he spent the first five years of his career. He had a disappointing 2014, when perhaps expectations were too high for a player that has never really been a great pass-rusher despite registering a 13-sack season back in 2012. His best pass-rushing season from a grading standpoint came in 2013 when he finished at plus-6.8 for the Bengals, and that's likely a best-cast scenario that the Bengals can expect in return.
Where Johnson should provide immediate help is against the run, where he finished with positive grades each of the past two years in Cincinnati, including a plus-16.3 mark in 2013 that ranked second among 4-3 defensive ends. Johnson will likely slot in at defensive right end in the familiar scheme, a position that provided very little production for the Bengals last season.
Johnson's return should benefit both him and the Bengals, if for nothing else providing some familiarity for both parties. Johnson will never be confused with top pass-rushers around the league, but his ability to play the run on the edge should be an immediate upgrade for the Bengals.