How Jeff Stoutland helped turn around Big Fred Johnson's career

Fred Johnson’s career could have gone either way.

By the time Big Fred showed up in Philly in November of 2022, he had already been cut by the Steelers, Bengals and Buccaneers in his first fours years in the NFL. Johnson, who stands at 6-foot-7 and 326 pounds, certainly had potential, but he had quickly become a journeyman, an afterthought.

And he was mad about it.

“I was on practice squad,” Johnson recalled. “I was mad at everybody. I was mad at any and everybody.”

But during those last few months on the Eagles’ practice squad through the 2022 playoff run, Johnson learned a lot about himself and maybe even more about Eagles legendary offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

On Wednesday, after making the Eagles’ 53-man roster for the second straight season, Johnson thought back to his early days with the Birds and how his relationship with Stoutland has grown over the years.

It wasn’t always easy.

“When I got here, I was so hard-headed, I ain’t want to listen to nobody, especially Stout,” Johnson said. “And Stout just said, ‘No, I’m not going to quit on you, I’m not going to give up on you.’ And that’s just something I appreciated him the most for. Because I was on my way out the league when I got here, like I said last year.

“This year, ‘Stout, whatever you need, I’m here, I’m ready. I’m ready to go.’ We don’t need to do no more coach me up, no babysitting, no 'gotta get Fred ready to go today.' I’m ready whenever you need me.”

Stoutland earned Johnson’s trust through persistence.

Johnson was already frustrated about his standing in the league back in 2022 but Stoutland didn’t let him wallow on the practice squad. During the second half of that season, it was Johnson’s job to play tackle on the scout team and give good looks for the starting edge rushers. It’s something NFL teams take really seriously.

And Stoutland wasn’t letting him get away with anything.

“He earned my trust by just never giving up on me,” Johnson said. “Just day in and day out. I was on practice squad, he was coaching me like I was a starter. I got tired of it. I’m like, ‘Please stop.’”

Of course, Stout didn’t stop.

The Eagles’ longtime offensive line coach has a standard that he wants upheld and he doesn’t care if you’re a starter of the last guy on the practice squad. What was difficult for Johnson was that the technique Stoutland was teaching him was different than what he had done before. So if Johnson messed up a rep on scout team, here came Stout, running up, telling him what he did wrong, correcting it on the spot.

And then Johnson would have to get right back in there to face Haason Reddick or Josh Sweat again.

“It was just very much hands-on,” Johnson said. “He’s in my grill 24/7 and I’m glad I was able to receive the best of his coaching.”

Last summer, Johnson was able to earn his spot on the Eagles’ 53-man roster and also got a new two-year deal that runs through the 2024 season. This summer, it never really looked like his roster spot was in danger.

In fact, after the Eagles’ second preseason game in New England, head coach Nick Sirianni was asked for one player who had improved most since last year. 

Sirianni singled out Big Fred.

“It got back to me,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “My mom sent it to me and she was just like, ‘Look at my baby.’ I’m like, ‘Please, come on, just chill.’ I mean, it meant a lot because I work hard and it’s good to see that appreciation from somebody else, especially the head coach.”

While Johnson admitted that his next day of practice after that big compliment from Sirianni was his worst of the summer, Johnson was pretty consistent all of training camp.

As he enters his second full season with the Eagles, Johnson is the top backup tackle behind Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. He’s ready to play on either side of the line if called upon.

And these days, he’s happy to still get coached hard by Stout.

“Even now, he still tells me, ‘I love you. You’re doing great things,’” Johnson said. “And then he’ll throw in his little two cents of what could get better, what could be better. It’s just the light of where I take the coaching. It’s not he’s trying to belittle me or tear me down. He’s trying to build me up.”

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