Jaleel Johnson (born July 12, 1994) 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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

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

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. Johnson was drafted by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

in the fourth round, 109th overall of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia ...

Early years

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Johnson grew up in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn. As a teenager, his parents sent him to live with an aunt in Chicago where he had a better chance to thrive. He played football and wrestled at St. Joseph High School in

Westchester, Illinois Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,892 at the 2020 census. The current Village President is Nick Steker, serving in the special role of acting president after ...

, where he was a three-year starter as a defensive tackle and offensive lineman and was named first-team All-area. However, in the middle of his junior year, due to a coaching change and a losing season, Johnson transferred to

Montini Catholic High School Montini Catholic High School (often shortened to Montini) is a co-educational, college preparatory, high school, run by the La Sallian educational institutions, Christian Brothers in Lombard, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Dioce ...

for his senior season, and in his only campaign at Montini, Johnson was named team captain and earned first-team All-state, All-conference and All-area honors as well as prep

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

recognition after helping the Broncos post 12-2 a record while winning the state championship, finishing with a 70-45 victory over Joliet Catholic. He recorded 80

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

, including five tackles for loss, three sacks and nine pressures. During his time at St. Joseph, Johnson also earned two letters as a heavyweight wrestler. Regarded as a four-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

'', Johnson received scholarship offers from half of the Big Ten. It was

coach

Kirk Ferentz Kirk James Ferentz (born August 1, 1955) is an American football coach. He is the current head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since the 1999 season. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the ...

who convinced him to play for the Hawkeyes after he sent a personal letter that made an impression on Johnson. He took a few visits to Iowa City and decided to sign with the Hawkeyes. Shortly after Signing Day, Johnson decommitted to take a closer look at

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

one more time, but ended up committing back to Iowa.

College career

Johnson played at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

from 2012 to 2016. Johnson had to wait a while before getting significant playing time due to Iowa's depth in the interior defensive line. He redshirted in 2012, and played in seven games as a reserve defensive tackle the following season, and then had 11 tackles, 2.5 for loss, as a backup in 2014. Given the starting role as a junior in 2015, Johnson garnered honorable mention All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

honors. Johnson stepped up his game in 2016, being named first-team All-Conference after leading his team with 10 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. In Iowa's biggest game in 2016 against No. 3

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, Johnson was one of the biggest reasons the Hawkeyes won 14-13, as he led the team with 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and a safety in the second quarter. According to

Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...

(PFF), Johnson ranked sixth among defensive tackles in pass rush productivity with 43 combined pressures in 330 snaps. During his five-year career with the Hawkeyes, Johnson posted 113 tackles, 18.5 of them for loss and 12.5 sacks.

Statistics

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Johnson was drafted by the

in the fourth round with the 109th overall selection in the

. Over his first three seasons in the NFL, Johnson played mainly in a reserve role, making four starts while also recording four sacks over that period, including 3.5 sacks in 2019. In 2020, Johnson moved into a starting role after projected starter Michael Pierce opted out of the season due to concerns over Covid 19. He started all 16 games and recorded 44 tackles and one and a half sacks.

Houston Texans (first stint)

On April 8, 2021, Johnson signed with the Houston Texans. He was released on August 31, 2021.

New Orleans Saints (first stint)

On September 6, 2021, Johnson was signed to 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 ...

practice squad.

Houston Texans (second stint)

On September 15, 2021, Johnson was signed by the Texans off the Saints practice squad after defensive lineman Vincent Taylor suffered an ankle injury.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On April 4, 2022, Johnson signed with the Saints. He was released on August 11, 2022. He was re-signed four days later. He was placed on injured reserve on August 17. On August 23, 2022, he was released with an injury settlement.

Atlanta Falcons

On October 5, 2022, Johnson was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad.

Houston Texans (third stint)

On October 27, 2022, Johnson was signed by the Texans off the Falcons practice squad. He was released on November 19.

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

On November 21, 2022, Johnson was claimed off waivers by the Falcons.

Tennessee Titans

On May 30, 2023, Johnson signed with the

. He was released on August 29, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad on September 20. He was promoted to the active roster on October 28. Johnson was released on November 21 and re-signed eight days later.

References

External links

Iowa Hawkeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jaleel 1994 births Living people Players of American football from Brooklyn Players of American football from DuPage County, Illinois People from Lombard, Illinois American football defensive tackles Iowa Hawkeyes football players Houston Texans players Minnesota Vikings players New Orleans Saints players Atlanta Falcons players Tennessee Titans players