Rishaw Kali Johnson (born February 23, 1989) 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 ...

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

that is currently the

tight ends coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

McNeese State McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. ...

. He attended

California University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, California (commonly known as PennWest California) is a public university campus in California, Pennsylvania and one of three campuses of Pennsylvania Western University, part of the Pennsylvania State System o ...

in 2011, having transferred there from the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

, where he played from 2008 to 2010. He signed as an

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 ...

with the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

in 2012.

Early years

A native of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Johnson attended

St. Augustine High School The name St. Augustine High School could refer to: In the United States: * St. Augustine Academy (Lakewood, Ohio) * St. Augustine High School (Laredo, Texas) * St. Augustine High School (New Orleans), Louisiana * St. Augustine High School (San Di ...

in his freshman and sophomore year, until

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

devastated the city in 2005. He was forced to move to

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

, and played his junior season at

Southern Laboratory School Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...

. He completed his high school career at Hammond High School in

Hammond, Louisiana Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States, located east of Baton Rouge and northwest of New Orleans. Its population was 20,019 in the 2010 U.S. census, and 21,359 at the 2020 population estimates program. Ham ...

, where he was regarded as a four-star offensive line prospect. He chose Ole Miss over Florida State and Southern Miss.

College career

After redshirting his initial year at Ole Miss, Johnson saw action in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2008. In 2009, he appeared in five games, with four starts, at right guard. After starting the season opener of his junior season, Johnson was dismissed from Ole Miss for "violating team rules." He then transferred to

, where he was a Division II All-American selection in 2011. Johnson played in the 2012 Senior Bowl and the 2012 East–West Shrine Game.

Professional career

2012 NFL Draft

Seattle Seahawks

Johnson was not drafted, and was signed by the

after the draft, and spent time on the practice squad. In late September, Johnson was brought in by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

for a workout, but was not signed. In December 2012, Johnson was promoted from the Seahawks practice squad to their active roster.

Kansas City Chiefs

On September 3, 2013, Johnson was signed to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

practice squad. The Chiefs promoted him to the active roster on September 24.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On August 21, 2014, Johnson was traded to 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) NFC South, South divisio ...

for safety Kelcie McCray. Johnson was waived on September 25, 2014, after the team promoted

Mike Kafka Michael John Kafka (born July 25, 1987) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). After attending St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chic ...

off the practice squad.

New York Giants

The

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

signed Johnson to their practice squad on November 25, 2014.

Washington Redskins

On December 23, 2014, the

Washington Redskins 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) N ...

signed Johnson to their active roster from the Giants' practice squad. On May 4, 2015, he was waived by the Redskins.

References

External links

NFL Combine bioCalifornia (PA) Vulcans bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Rishaw 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from New Orleans Players of American football from New Orleans American football offensive guards St. Augustine High School (New Orleans) alumni Ole Miss Rebels football players California Vulcans football players Seattle Seahawks players Kansas City Chiefs players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Washington Redskins players Coaches of American football from Louisiana UTSA Roadrunners football coaches McNeese State Cowboys football coaches