Eric Johnson II

Career StatsD-

Year	Team	GP	Sacks	Tkl	TFL
Career		51	1.0	41	5
2025		12	0.0	6	1
2024		11	0.0	17	2.5
2023		14

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Salary-cap math on Eric Johnson II's contract works out to a D+ Contract Value Index given the dead-cap exposure and term. A fourth-year player on a $1.1M AAV rookie scale deal should be contributing at a rotation level, but Johnson's 2025 season produced just 6 tackles across 12 games—replacement-level output that justifies the tepid market assessment. At his positional salary, he's technically cost-efficient, but only if he's actually playing; depth defensive tackles earning north of $1M per year need to demonstrate at minimum that they can hold snaps without creating obvious gaps, and Johnson's on-field track record with Indianapolis suggests he couldn't crack the meaningful rotation despite the Colts' well-documented interior line struggles. The media narrative—which correctly pegs him as a low-risk camp body rather than a developmental prospect or a hidden rotation piece—reflects an organization (Indianapolis) that clearly didn't see a long-term fit: they cycled through multiple linemen signings and cuts this offseason while declining to retain Johnson, which is the loudest possible statement about his value. At 27 and four years into his career, he's no longer in a development window; his CVI grade reflects that he's being paid for whatever organizational function he fills next, not for future upside. The four-year rookie deal structure locks in modest annual cap hits, but that savings only matters if the player justifies a roster spot—and everything about the Colts' handling of Johnson suggests they didn't believe he could.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Eric's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Tape review and box-score baselines converge on a D- performance grade for Eric Johnson II. The fourth-year defensive tackle occupies a replacement-level tier at his position—a depth-only contributor whose 2025 season production of 6 tackles across 12 games underscores his inability to carve out meaningful snaps despite Indianapolis's well-documented interior line struggles. His 320-pound frame offers run-stuffing potential on paper, but that structural asset has not translated into consistent tackle production or snap distribution that would suggest rotational viability. Johnson appeared in 12 games last season yet generated minimal counting impact, the kind of durability-without-output profile that defines bubble-roster territory. The organizational narrative is damning: Indianapolis cycled him through waivers rather than integrate him into their 2026 plans, a clear signal that his depth-piece status is exactly what the Colts deemed expendable as they pivoted toward offensive and defensive line additions elsewhere. At 27 and in his fourth year, Johnson projects as a short-roster competition player—useful for training camp bodies and injury contingencies, but not a building block in any form.

How Eric Compares at the Position

Eric Johnson II ranks 205th of 216 graded defensive tackles by performance. That slots Eric between Jordon Riley (D-) just ahead and Alfred Collins (D-) just behind.

Fan Sentiment

Eric Johnson II sits at a C- in public sentiment right now, which is about as charitable as the coverage of his situation deserves — the media narrative around this 27-year-old defensive tackle is one of collective indifference rather than outright skepticism. The dominant framing treats his move from Indianapolis to Minnesota as a low-risk camp body acquisition, with the coverage noting his 320-pound frame as a potential run-stuffing curiosity but stopping well short of projecting meaningful rotational impact — the clearest editorial verdict being that he never carved out a consistent role with the Colts despite their need for interior line help. That on-field track record is the anchor dragging on perception: his 2025 season produced just 6 tackles across 12 games, which is replacement-level output that reinforces the "depth piece" label rather than challenging it. His arrival in Minnesota coincides with Indianapolis cycling through roster moves — releasing multiple offensive and defensive linemen while locking in extensions for select veterans — which only underscores the organizational message that Johnson didn't factor into their long-term picture. The sentiment trend, however, is nudging upward from D+ to C-, suggesting that the low-stakes nature of the signing is at least registering as a neutral rather than a negative, and that his camp competition value is earning him a sliver of goodwill heading into the offseason. At bottom, the narrative around Eric Johnson II is that of a bubble player who earns his opportunity simply by showing up large and being cheap — not a story anyone is particularly invested in, but not one generating backlash either.