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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Dallas signs Johnson


Tank Johnson hopes to be sacking quarterbacks, like Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck (8), for the Dallas Cowboys.Associated Press
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

Suspended defensive tackle Tank Johnson signed a two-year contract Tuesday with the Dallas Cowboys.

Johnson, who played the last three seasons for the Chicago Bears, can’t play for the Cowboys and won’t be paid until he completes his eight-game NFL suspension for violating probation on a gun charge. He has served the first two games of that suspension and will still have to apply for reinstatement.

Johnson signed after visiting with the Cowboys and taking a physical. He will make about $255,000 this season, the prorated portion of a minimum contract.

“For a lot of reasons, he really just felt the Cowboys were the right fit,” said Johnson’s agent, Jerrold Colton. “He’s so thankful to them for giving him this opportunity. He is very determined to prove they made a wise decision in believing in him.”

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the earliest Johnson would be eligible to play is Nov. 11 at the New York Giants, the Cowboys’ ninth game of the season. Dallas has an open date in the NFL’s eighth week.

Johnson could provide late-season depth on a defensive line that lost starting nose tackle Jason Ferguson for the year because of a torn right biceps in the opener. But Johnson will have to adjust to the Cowboys’ 3-4 scheme, which is different from what he’s played in Chicago.

Although Johnson can’t work out with Dallas until the week of the Giants game after his suspension ends, the team had to make room for him on the 53-man roster. The Cowboys released backup cornerback Nate Jones.

The Bears released Johnson on June 25, three days after he was pulled over by police in Gilbert, Ariz. He already had served a two-month jail term for the gun charge and been suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Union turns to Congress

Under fire from injured retirees who say they were denied sufficient benefits, the head of the National Football League Players Association asked Congress for greater authority to approve disability claims.

Gene Upshaw, director of the players association, said the union is limited in what it can do for the scores of former players who are battered and broken from years of playing the violent sport.

At the same time, Upshaw and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said league pensions are improving.

“We have made great progress, and we are not finished,” Upshaw told a Senate committee. “Congress can help.”

Around the league

Kevin Everett could be transferred to a Houston hospital by this weekend to begin the next phase of the Buffalo Bills tight end’s rehabilitation, a person close to the family told the AP. … The New York Jets placed kick returner/cornerback Justin Miller on injured reserve because of a knee injury. … Garrard “Buster” Ramsey, the first coach of the Buffalo Bills, has died in Signal Mountain, Tenn. He was 87. … Right guard Randy Thomas will have surgery today on his torn left triceps, the second major operation in two weeks on a Washington Redskins offensive lineman. He will be out at least two months.