Predators sign Johnson, waive James and Russell
Wednesday April 25, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (April 25) -- The receiver position on the Orlando Predators roster continued to resemble a revolving door on Wednesday when Head Coach Jay Gruden announced that the team had signed former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Ron Johnson and was releasing both Jerrian James and JR Russell.
Johnson, 6-2, 233, will become the eighth wide receiver to dress for the Predators this season as the Predators look for some consistency at a position that has seen two players (Jimmy Fryzel – hamstring; DeAndrew Rubin – broken arm) miss significant time with injuries.
Since the injuries to Fryzel and Rubin, the Predators have tried a variety of combinations that have seen James, Charles Lee, Russell and Clif Dell working with Javarus Dudley. The injuries and inconsistencies have also resulted in defensive back Ryan Bowers seeing significant time at wide receiver.
“Our hope is that Ron Johnson will step in and give us some stability at wide receiver,” Gruden said. “He’s got great size and runs good routes. I believe he’ll be able to step in and help us.”
Johnson entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2002. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, making four starts. He finished his rookie season with 10 receptions for 114 yards and one touchdown and also played extensively on special teams. Johnson played in six games for Ravens in 2003 and went to camp with the Bears in 2005 and the Redskins in 2006.
A former standout at Minnesota, Johnson finished his career as the school’s all-time leading receiver with 198 receptions for 3,039 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was a first team All-Big Ten selection as a junior and received second team status as a senior.
Russell, a former Louisville standout, played in two games with the Predators – catching 16 balls for 132 yards and two touchdowns. James is five-year AFL veteran who went to camp with the Predators this year and was waived in the final cut down. He was resigned after the injury to Fryzel and he has 27 receptions for 294 yards and four touchdowns in four games played.
The team also announced the signing of defensive lineman Darrell Wright from its practice squad. The 6-3, 265-lb. Wright spent time in the NFL with the Dallas, Washington, and Seattle organizations. He played the 2006 season for Cologne of NFL-Europe, recording 13.5 tackles with a quarterback sack and four pass defenses. Wright played two seasons at Oregon, making 16 starts with 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 quarterback sacks. He most recently went to camp with the Houston Texans in 2006.
PREDS NOTES: After a 2-3 start the Predators will be looking for their third consecutive win this week when they travel to Las Vegas to meet the Gladiators (1-7)…It will be the first time the Predators have played a regular season game in Las Vegas, but the team did play in ArenaBowl XX against Chicago in that city…lineman Reggie Lee will tie former Predators great Kenny McEntyre for the most games ever played in a Predators uniform (138) when he suits up this week against Las Vegas…Lee has already played in more regular season games for the Predators than McEntyre (120-118)…WR Javarus Dudley has scored 11 touchdowns in his last four games…Lineman Greg White has 5.5 quarterback sacks in just five games played this season…the club record is shared by EJ Burt and Rupert Grant at 9.5.
