Edward Andre Johnson (born December 18, 1983) is a former

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 with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He was signed by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2007. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

Early years

Johnson was a multi-sport star at Crockett Technical High School in Detroit, playing football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. Won the class B state championship in the 100m and 200m dash in both 1997 and 1998.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Johnson had an immediate impact in his NFL debut, registering 3 solo tackles in the Colt's Week 1 victory over the

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 ...

in relief of the injured

Anthony McFarland Anthony McFarland Jr. (born March 4, 1998) is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland, and was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of th ...

. He would lead Colts linemen in tackles in 2007 with 72, including a season-high 9 tackles in the Colts' AFC Divisional Playoff loss to the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. He finished the season ranked in the top 20 in tackles among NFL rookies. The only defensive lineman to start all 16 games for the Colts in 2007, Johnson received the Thomas W. Moses Sr./Noble Max Award, given annually by

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

media to a player "who has overcome adversity in his career, or whose on-field accomplishments exceeded normal expectations." On September 10, 2008, it was reported that Johnson had been stopped by

Hamilton County, Indiana Hamilton County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 United States Census recorded a population of 347,467. The county seat is Noblesville. Hamilton County is part of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...

police on

I-465 Interstate 465 (I-465), also known as the USS ''Indianapolis'' Memorial Highway, is the beltway circling Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is roughly rectangular in shape and has a perimeter of approximately . It lies almost complet ...

for speeding and was also found to have

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

in his possession. He was arrested and released after posting bond. After a brief internal investigation, the Colts cut Johnson from the team less than 24 hours later. On May 5, 2009, Johnson was re-signed by the Colts, with new head coach Jim Caldwell saying that they would give him a second chance, hoping that he learned from his mistakes. On October 13, 2009, Johnson was waived by the Colts for the second time. At the press conference announcing the move, Caldwell said that the decision was based more on "production than anything else."

Carolina Panthers

On February 16, 2010, Johnson signed with 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. T ...

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bio

"Ed Johnson making his mark,"
Bryan Strickland, panthers.com, October 22, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Ed 1983 births Living people Players of American football from Detroit American football defensive tackles Penn State Nittany Lions football players Indianapolis Colts players Carolina Panthers players