Michael Johnson Injury: Updates on Bengals DE's Back and Return

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson is dealing with a back injury that caused him to miss practice leading up to Week 11. However, he will not miss any game action.

Continue for updates.

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Johnson Active in Week 11

Sunday, Nov. 22

The Bengals announced Johnson is available to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. 

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Latest on Johnson's Practice Status

Friday, Nov. 20

The Bengals listed Johnson as a non-participant in practice this week.

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Injury Woes Plaguing Johnson's 2015 Season

Johnson has been a solid performer in the Bengals' system throughout his career, recording 11.5 sacks as recently as 2012, but he's been dinged up this year despite appearing in every game and has just two sacks. The 28-year-old missed a lot of time during the preseason due to an MCL strain. 

The Bengals do have quality depth on the defensive line, with Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins doing the majority of the pass rushing. Johnson isn't on that level, but he's certainly a quality secondary piece whom head coach Marvin Lewis knows he can plug in. 

This is a critical season for the Bengals, who got off to a fantastic start before laying an egg in a 10-6 loss in Week 10 against the Houston Texans. Johnson is a player who can elevate the defense when he is healthy, but injury woes early this season and inconsistent performances thus far make him a huge question mark moving forward.