Steven Mickail Johnson Jr.
(born March 28, 1988) is a former
American football linebacker. He signed with the
Denver Broncos as an
undrafted free agent in 2012 where he spent three seasons before signing with the
Tennessee Titans in 2015. 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 ...
at the
University of Kansas. He has also been a member of the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
,
Baltimore Ravens,
Arizona Hotshots, and
Seattle Dragons.
High school career
Johnson attended
Strath Haven High School
Strath Haven High School (also abbreviated as SHHS) is a four-year public high school in Wallingford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, enrolling about 1,200 students. SHHS is the only high school in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. The ...
in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, where he played linebacker; however, he struggled to impress coaches the way some of his teammates did. After one year on the freshman team and two years of
junior varsity, he became a starter for his varsity team during his
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
year. That year, he led the state of Pennsylvania with 114
tackles and being selected for All-state second team. Despite his successful senior year, he did not receive an offer to play collegiate football at any level.
Before college
Without any collegiate offers, Johnson enrolled at
Wyoming Seminary in 2006 to continue his education and play football. After only five games, he recorded 62 tackles, two
interceptions, and four rushing
touchdowns. His performance began to earn the attention of college scouts until he
tore his ACL,
LCL
LCL can mean:
Science, technology, and medicine
* Lateral collateral ligament (disambiguation), one of several ligaments located on the lateral side of a joint:
** Fibular collateral ligament, a ligament of the knee joint
** Lateral collateral ...
, and capsule in his left knee. His football career appeared to be over.
After a long period of recovery, Johnson started contacting colleges about playing football. He only received an invitation to walk-on at the
University of Kansas, after contacting several colleges.
College career
Johnson 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 ...
at the
University of Kansas after walking on to the team. He did not receive a scholarship until just before his junior season when he impressed coaches at practice.
Johnson recorded nine tackles and a sack during his
sophomore season, and one tackle during his freshman season.
In his
junior season, Johnson had 95 tackles, two sacks and three pass deflections.
On September 4, 2010, In the season opener, he recorded nine tackles against
North Dakota State. On September 25, 2010, he recorded eight tackles and a sack in a game against
New Mexico State.
In his
senior season, Johnson had 120 tackles, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles and an interception.
In 2011, he was selected to the
Phil Steele's Midseason All-Big 12 Third Team. On September 3, 2011, in the season opener, he recorded 15 tackles and a forced fumble against
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. ...
. On September 17, 2011, he had 11 tackles in a loss to
Georgia Tech. On October 15, 2011, he recorded 13 tackles, an interception and two pass deflections against the #3 ranked
Oklahoma Sooners.
Johnson finished college with 225 tackles, three sacks, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles and an interception.
In January 2012, he played in the
2012 East–West Shrine Game
The 2012 East–West Shrine Game was the 87th staging of the all-star college football exhibition game featuring NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision players and a few select invitees from Canadian university football. The game featured over ...
.
Professional career
Denver Broncos
On April 29, 2012, Johnson signed with the
Denver Broncos as an
undrafted free agent. On August 31, 2012, he made the 53-man roster. He played three seasons with the Broncos,
starting in seven games for the team.
During the
2013 season, in a game against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson blocked a
punt and recovered it for a touchdown. In Week 11 against the
Kansas City Chiefs, he came in for a defensive play where he stopped
Jamaal Charles at the goal line and denied him a touchdown on third down.
On September 5, 2015, Johnson was released by the Broncos.
Tennessee Titans
Johnson was claimed off
waivers by the
Tennessee Titans on September 6, 2015. He played in all 16 games, mostly on
special teams, with the Titans where he recorded seven tackles during the
2015 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Johnson signed a one-year contract with the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
on March 25, 2016. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Steelers as part of final roster cuts. The following day, the Steelers signed him to a one-year, $760,000 contract after
Bud Dupree suffered an injury. He was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
on November 15, 2016 after suffering an ankle injury in Week 10.
On February 15, 2017, Johnson signed a one-year contract extension with the Steelers. On September 2, 2017, Johnson was released by the Steelers, but was re-signed two days later. He was released on September 9, 2017, but was re-signed three days later. He was released again on September 23, 2017.
Baltimore Ravens
On October 17, 2017, Johnson signed with the
Baltimore Ravens.
Arizona Hotshots
On November 9, 2018, Johnson signed with the
Arizona Hotshots of the
Alliance of American Football
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...
(AAF) for the 2019 season. In the season opener against the
Salt Lake Stallions, Johnson intercepted quarterback
Matt Linehan in the second half. The league ceased operations in April 2019.
Seattle Dragons
In October 2019, as part of the
2020 XFL Draft
The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social m ...
, Johnson was selected by the
Seattle Dragons. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
Personal life
In 2014, Johnson started the Faith Motivated Foundation to help kids and adults to set and achieve goals, take care of their health and rely on their faith.
References
External links
Steven Johnson's Official WebsiteThe Faith Motivated FoundationDenver Broncos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Steven
1988 births
Living people
People from Media, Pennsylvania
American football linebackers
Kansas Jayhawks football players
Denver Broncos players
Tennessee Titans players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Baltimore Ravens players
Players of American football from Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Arizona Hotshots players
Seattle Dragons players