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UPDATE: LJ likely to sign with Bengals

By C. Trent Rosecrans, CNATI.com Posted November 16, 2009 4:48 PM ET

The Bengals will likely announce the signing of running back Larry Johnson on Tuesday, but for all intents and purposes, the deal has been made, according to sources and various media reports.

Because the seven-year veteran has cleared waivers, the Bengals would only be on the line for a pro-rated deal at the league's minimum for his service level.

Earlier in the day, Marvin Lewis acknowledged the Bengals have talked to Johnson and the running back was due to visit the team. Lewis made it clear that he'd talked to Johnson last Thursday and told the former Chiefs running back he would assume a back-up role with Cincinnati. Johnson was released by Kansas City last Monday.

"I wanted to visit with him about his future and made things pretty clear to him about if there were an opportunity here, what it would be," Lewis said. "It would have zero effect on Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard. I'm very happy with what they're doing and their roles and would like to see Bernard's role continue to expand as it did yesterday.

"But if we did indeed choose to bring Larry here to visit and spend some time with him, and me to judge him both on the field here with us and see what he can do that way, and we did decide to go forward, that that's what his role would be, to be a fourth running back and as an opportunity as a back-up player on this football team doing all the things that backup players do - and that's working their tail off in the kicking game and giving looks. And then he'd be an insurance policy if something would happen down the line to one of our guys, where he'd have a chance to be active, but I couldn't foresee him being active when he first got here if this does happen. That's what I told him."

Lewis said he's talked to Benson about the possibility of signing Johnson, the former Pro-Bowler with the Chiefs. Benson left Sunday's game with a hip injury.

"Obviously, this (with Johnson) was already underway last week," Lewis said. "So Cedric's (injury) on this had no effect on this."

Lewis said Benson has a chance to play this week.

"He'll have an opportunity to play this week, he's got an abductor strain, what he had last week a little bit," Lewis said. "He obviously aggravated it early in the football game and we were able to get him shut down. He really doesn't feel much worse for the wear. I think he has an opportunity this week. We'll be real cautious this week with him and as we approach the game, if he's not healthy, he'd probably not go. We'll see how he is as we go through the week and we'll see if he can make a comeback."

As for Johnson, he'd join a backfield with Benson, who has been one of the league's top running backs this season, the promising rookie Scott and Leonard, who has made several big third down plays this season in his role as the team's third-down back.

Johnson, who will turn 30 this week, has a reputation as a malcontent and an unpopular figure in his own locker room. That's a similar situation as Benson carried when the Bengals signed him as a free agent last season.

"We would judge him on his future, not his past," Lewis said. "We judge him from that way forward. I told him and I told Ced, I think you could help him with that, you could validate that."

Scott said he had heard rumors of a Johnson signing and would be fine with it if it happened.

"I think it's all part of the business, if they feel like they need to bring someone else it, I'm not going to let it affect the way I prepare for games," Scott said.

Scott said he didn't think it would bother the balance in the locker room if Johnson joined the team.

"I think it'd be fine," Scott said. "We're winning, we're happy. Personally, I don't know him, so I don't want to say anything."

Categories: Cincinnati Bengals, Featured Stories, News

Tags: Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard, Cedric Benson, Larry Johnson, Marvin Lewis