Clay Johnston (born August 8, 1996) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for the
Cincinnati Bengals of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
Baylor.
College career
Johnston missed several games in 2017. He was a second-team all-
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
selection in 2018 after recording a team-high 99 tackles. As a senior, he made 58 tackles, eight for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, and five pass breakups. Johnston only played six games due to a knee injury that ended his season early. He was again named to the second-team All-Big 12.
[
]
Professional career
Los Angeles Rams
Johnston was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round (234th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Carolina Panthers
On September 8, 2020, Johnston was signed to the Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on December 26 and January 2, 2021, for the team's weeks 16 and 17 games against the Washington Football Team
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
and New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on January 4, 2021.
Johnston made the Panthers 53-man roster in 2021 as a backup linebacker and special teamer. He played in six games before being waived on November 8, 2021.
Cincinnati Bengals
On November 9, 2021, Johnston was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played in Super Bowl LVI, recording one tackle.
Personal life
His father, Kent Johnston, was a strength coach for over two decades in the NFL, and was also Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 201 ...
’s best man for his wedding. He has three brothers Kody, Kole, and Cade. Kody played collegiate football at Texas A&M University and Kole participated in collegiate football at Tarleton State University.
References
External links
Baylor Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Clay
1996 births
American football linebackers
Baylor Bears football players
Carolina Panthers players
Cincinnati Bengals players
Living people
Los Angeles Rams players
Players of American football from Texas
Players of American football from Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Abilene, Texas
Sportspeople from Green Bay, Wisconsin