4 things to know about Josh Johnson, the journeyman QB forced to step in for 49ers vs. Eagles
Johnson has played for 17 different pro football teams, including stints in the UFL, XFL and AAF.
Josh Johnson was drafted in 2008. But after 15 seasons and stints in the United Football League (UFL), XFL, and Alliance of American Football (AAF), he made his first NFL playoff appearance Sunday afternoon.
That’s when the journeyman became the fourth quarterback to take snaps for the San Francisco 49ers this season, entering in the first quarter of an NFC Conference Championship showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles. He entered in relief of Brock Purdy, the rookie who’d been the final pick of last spring’s NFL Draft and who had started the season as the team’s third-string passer.
But Purdy suffered an injury to his throwing arm early against the league’s top-rated pass rush, fumbling in the process.
REDDICK TUFF@Haason7Reddick | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/lVBtrlrvUk
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 29, 2023
That turned the offense over to Johnson, a 36-year-old emergency option who started off his third appearance of the season in a drive that featured both a sack and a delay of game penalty. So who is Johnson, and does he have a chance to guide the Niners to Super Bowl 57?