Former Bengals Pro Bowl RB Rudi Johnson dies at 45

It's a sad day for the Cincinnati Bengals and the larger NFL community. News surfaced on Tuesday that former Bengals Pro Bowl running back Rudi Johnson has passed away this week at only 45 years old. TMZ broke the news, indicating that Johnson had been struggling with the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), though no cause of death had been determined. Johnson was a fourth-round pick out of Auburn in the 2001 NFL Draft, but didn't hit his stride in the pros until his third season, when Marvin Lewis began his long tenure as head coach. Once injuries struck for Bengals legend Corey Dillon, Johnson stepped into a larger role and ran for 957 yards and nine TDs in 2003. That set the stage for an epic three-year run in which Johnson racked up 4,221 rushing yards and 36 TDs. With the regular season extended to 17 games nowadays, those numbers would equate to a per-year average of almost 1,500 yards and 13 TDs. While that incredible, sustained greatness showed the type of talent Johnson had, he had a