Johnson is listed at 6-feet-2, 296 pounds, but Polian said he was about 15-to-20 pounds over that and "couldn't really take it off."

"Jim Caldwell about three weeks ago called him in and essentially said to him, 'Ed, you have to pick it up – the production, the hustle, the effort and the ability to lose the weight has to be improved,''' Polian said Monday, adding that Caldwell told Johnson, "Otherwise, we're going to have to make a change.'''

Added Polian, "It's directly related to his weight."