On Monday, we passed along the news that Pittsburgh Steelers unrestricted free agent h-back Will Johnson had a agreed to a two-year contract with the New York Giants and on Tuesday, the former undrafted free agent out of West Virginia bid farewell to Steelers fans via a classy post on his Instagram account.
While Johnson’s role in the Steelers offense was very limited during his four seasons in Pittsburgh, he was always a model player who was always willing to do the dirty work. Johnson also exhibited a good character during his time in Pittsburgh.
Johnson’s backstory as to how he ultimately made the team’s 53-man roster back in 2012 is certainly a unique and inspirational one and it started with him impressing Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during the West Virginia pro day that year as a tryout candidate. You see, Johnson did not receive a training camp invite from any team after going undrafted in 2011, so he sat out the entire season and proceeded to work three jobs while continuing to train for an opportunity.
The Steelers signed Johnson to futures contract after that 2012 pro day workout and against all odds he wound up making the team’s 53-man roster that year out of training camp. Johnson then went on to dress for all but one regular-season game for the Steelers over the course of the four years he was in Pittsburgh.
Johnson will now attempt to make the Giants 53-man roster this year as a role player on offense and special teams contributor. The fact that New York gave him a two-year contract bodes well for him in his attempt to do just that and we wish him well in his endeavours.
