Michael David Johnson (born February 7, 1987) 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 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 ...

. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...

and has also played for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

. He played college football at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

Early years

Johnson played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Dallas County High School Dallas County High School is a public high school in Plantersville, Alabama, United States. Building history In the late 19th century Plantersville had its own college, founded by and chartered under John L. Dodson LL.D., who had formerly been ...

in Plantersville, Alabama. Playing

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

, Johnson was the team captain and MVP for coach Richard Bush. As a junior, he had 25 receptions for 300 yards and three touchdowns. He caught 42 passes for 650 yards and six

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

as a senior while making 92

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 ...

and 14 sacks on defense. Johnson was also an outstanding

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player, who averaged 16 points and 10

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

as a junior. Johnson Graduated valedictorian of his class.

College career

As a senior at Georgia Tech, Johnson, in 2008, ended the regular season with Recorded 46 tackles (28 solos) as he led the team and finished third in the conference with nine sacks and 17.5 stops for losses and two forced fumbles. He was voted as an AFCA coaches First-team All-American with the likes of

Brian Orakpo Brian Ndubisi Orakpo (born July 31, 1986) is a former American football outside linebacker who played 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas, was recognized as a unanimous All ...

and

Terrence Cody Terrence Bernard Cody, Jr. (born June 28, 1988) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Alabama.. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft and pla ...

. He also garnered first-team All-ACC honors as well as numerous other accolades. In 2007, Johnson played in 13 games and started one. He had 21 tackle (11 solo) and six went for losses. He had four sacks and forced three fumbles and recovered one. He also blocked two kicks. The previous season, 2006, he played in and started all 12 games and had 34 tackles (25 solo) and six were for a loss. He recorded five sacks and forced three fumbles and broke up two passes. In 2005, as a true freshman, he played in 11 games and had 5 solo tackles and one assisted for a total of six tackles, one going for a loss. He also recorded one sack and forced one fumble. On May 2, 2015, after six seasons in the NFL, Johnson officially earned his degree from Georgia Tech.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Johnson was not selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft where many analysts predicted he would go, instead falling into the third round and being picked 70th overall by the Bengals. During an interview, Johnson was mentioned by head coach Marvin Lewis as maybe being "one of the best pass rushers he has ever worked with." Before the 2010 season, the Bengals announced that Johnson would be moved to outside linebacker. In 2012, Johnson accumulated 52 tackles, 35 solo, and 11.5 sacks. He also had one interception and one force fumble. The Bengals placed their non-exclusive franchise tag on Johnson on March 1, 2013.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Johnson signed a five-year, $43.98 million contract with the

on March 11, 2014. Johnson's debut season for the Buccaneers was marred with injuries consistently the entire year. In the 2014 season, he recorded 27 combined tackles, 4.0 quarterback sacks, and two forced fumbles. On March 11, 2015, exactly one year to the day he signed with the Buccaneers, Johnson was released. The move saved $2 million in cap space despite the loss of $7 million in guaranteed money that the team still had to pay.

Cincinnati Bengals (second stint)

On March 15, 2015, Johnson re-joined his former team, signing a four-year, $24 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 5 of the 2018 season, Johnson recorded a 22-yard pick-six in the 27–17 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

References

External links

Cincinnati Bengals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Michael 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Selma, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama American football defensive ends Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Cincinnati Bengals players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players