FB JOHNSON IS DONE FOR THE YEAR.

The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] soon will be in the market for a new lead blocker out of the backfield.






Starting fullback [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] suffered what coach [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] called a "significant knee injury" [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] of the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]' 24-23 preseason loss to the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] on Thursday night. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] reported Johnson tore his anterior cruciate ligament and is lost for the season.

Johnson's injury leaves a significant void on the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]' roster. The only other fullback in-house is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], an undrafted rookie out of West Virginia.

Tomlin has to be smarting about losing Johnson, a versatile player he planned to use at both fullback and tight end, the position where he built his [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] career.

"I'm not ready to say Johnson is exclusively a fullback," Tomlin said Tuesday, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. "This guy's had several years with us exclusively as a tight end. We made a commitment to work him in the spring and the early portions of training camp as a fullback to give him that exposure, but we also found opportunities to play him at tight end, such as in tight end-vs.-outside linebacker (drills)."

Now the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] must come up with Plan B.