Bears Sign Former Steelers Linebacker

The Chicago Bears are signing former Steelers linebacker Buddy Johnson to a contract after a workout with the team, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reported.

Johnson played for the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans as well after departing from Pittsburgh. The Steelers released Johnson last August after he failed to show what they wanted on the field. It was a quick move, as Johnson had been with the team since 2021.

Johnson, 23, was the Steelers’ fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. In 2021, Johnson was the team’s fifth inside linebacker behind Devin Bush, Joe Schobert, Robert Spillane, Marcus Allen and Ulysses Gilbert III. Johnson was inactive for most of the season, dressing in just four games when other players were injured.

When he did play, it was mostly on special teams. On the season, Johnson played in 59 snaps of special teams and just six snaps of defense. He finished with just two tackles. Now, after bouncing around practice squads in 2022, Johnson has another NFL opportunity.

The Bears hosted over a dozen players and Johnson impressed enough to get a contract. Johnson has good size and speed but lacked processing ability and eye discipline. His vocal leadership is something that the Steelers liked about him coming out of Texas A&M, but he never got to show it off due to his inconsistencies as a player.