Josh Freeman is out as quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the game against the Carolina Panthers. Josh Freeman is out with a shoulder injury and will be replaced by Josh Johnson as the Buc’s quarterback against the Panthers.

This could be good news for the Carolina Panthers or it could be bad news. Josh Johnson is a decent quarterback who is probably even more athletic than Josh Freeman. I liked Johnson when he came out of college and thought he would be the Buc’s starting quarterback.

For Josh Johnson this is an audition for employment on a future team. If Josh Johnson lights up the Carolina Panthers then he becomes attractive to other teams as a free agent or even in a trade.

As I pointed out here in my preview of the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers game, the Buc’s are not having a good year. It could be the shoulder injury by Freeman has contributed to that. The team may just get fired up with a very athletic and healthy Josh Johnson at the helm.

But on the plus side for the Carolina Panthers, Johnson is the backup and probably hasn’t had a lot of practice reps this season. Getting an early lead is very important for the Panthers now. Josh Johnson is not a great passer and making him throw often can cause some turnovers and win the game for the Panthers.