Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Cedric Johnson has drawn the ire of the NFL.
Johnson was among the slew of players the league punished in its weekly sweep after reviewing the previous week’s games. Johnson received a $6,164 fine, the second-smallest fine handed down this week.
It was for a “roughing the kicker” infraction that the in-game officials also dinged him for, gifting the Steelers 15 yards.
NFL Fines Bengals’ Cedric Johnson
The penalty occurred during the third quarter, with the Bengals leading 20-17. Per Rule 12, Section 2, Article 12, Item 1 of the 2026 NFL rulebook, “It is a foul for roughing the kicker if a defensive player:
- contacts the plant leg of the kicker while his kicking leg is still in the air; or
- slides into or contacts the kicker when both of the kicker’s feet are on the ground. It is not a foul if the contact is not severe, or if the kicker returns both feet to the ground prior to the contact and falls over a defender on the ground; or
- commits any other act of unnecessary roughness against the kicker.
There are a slew of stipulations in which a player can avoid drawing a flag for committing a roughing the kicker infraction:
- is incidental to and occurs after the defender has touched the kick in flight, or occurs simultaneously with the kicker kicking the ball;
- is caused by the kicker’s own motions;
- occurs during a quick kick or when the kicker carries the ball outside the pocket area, unless he clearly establishes a kicking posture;
- occurs during or after a run behind the line;
- occurs after the kicker or holder recovers a loose ball on the ground;
- occurs because a defender is pushed or blocked (causing a change of direction) into the kicker; or
- is the result of a foul by an opponent
The NFL did not deem that Johnson’s infraction met any of those criteria, making their decision otherwise simple. The NFL does not list roughing the kicker among its fineable offenses, either, only citing it for quarterbacks.
Johnson is the first player to be fined for the infraction this season.
Steelers’ Cole Holcomb Docked, Too
Johnson is the only Bengals player fined over their actions in the loss to the Steelers. However, the NFL did get someone on Pittsburgh’s side, too.
Starting linebacker Cole Holcomb received an $11,041 for “unnecessary roughness” of an illegal “blindside block.” That is notably less than the $17,911 fine listed for first-time infractions and, obviously, the $23,882 fine for second-time offenses.
However, this does count as Holcomb’s first strike.
“A total of six players were fined for ‘major’ infractions in Week 3,” The Ringer and Netflix’s Tom Pelissero reported in a post on X on October 3, listing Holcomb among the group and adding, “Three fines in any one category triggers an automatic one-game suspension. Players can appeal the fines.”
The revised guidelines were announced in August by the NFL and NFLPA in a joint effort. That has led to a stringent crackdown.
NFL Punishes Two Players Over Cincinnati Bengals Game