Leonard Johnson (American football)

For the American football player of the same name born in 1946, see Len Johnson (American football).

Leonard Johnson
refer to caption
Johnson with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buffalo Bills
Position:Coaching assistant
Personal information
Born: (1990-03-30) March 30, 1990 (age 34)
Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Largo (FL)
College:Iowa State
Undrafted:2012
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
  • Buffalo Bills (2020–present)
    Coaching assistant
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:251
Sacks:1.0
Forced fumbles:7
Fumble recoveries:2
Interceptions:5
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Leonard Johnson (born March 30, 1990) is a former American football cornerbacks who is currently a coaching assistant for the Buffalo Bills. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football at Iowa State. He has also played for the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals.

College career

Johnson attended Iowa State University from 2008 to 2011. As a freshman in 2008, he set an NCAA record for most kick return yards in a game with 319.[1] During his career he started 43 of 50 games, recording 247 tackles and six interceptions.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+7⁄8 in
(1.77 m) 		196 lb
(89 kg) 		28+3⁄4 in
(0.73 m) 		8 in
(0.20 m)		 4.71 s 1.64 s 2.73 s 4.15 s 6.96 s 32 in
(0.81 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 15 reps
All values from NFL Combine[2]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2012 season

On April 30, 2012, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Johnson to a three-year, $1.44 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $5,000.[3]

Throughout training camp, Johnson competed for a roster spot as a backup cornerback against E. J. Biggers, Brandon McDonald, Myron Lewis, and Anthony Gaitor.[4] Head coach Greg Schiano named Johnson the fifth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season. He was listed behind Aqib Talib, Eric Wright, Brandon McDonald, and E. J. Biggers.[5]

During his rookie campaign he showed great promise when he finished the year with 41 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 3 interceptions.

2013 season

In his sophomore campaign he improved his tackle stats to 62 tackles but only recorded 1 forced fumble and 1 interception.

2014 season

During his 3rd season he saw transition into a new Tampa 2 system installed by new head coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Leslie Fraizer. He was used more in rotation as opposed to a full-time starter and finished his 2014 season with 45 total tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. Johnson was released from the Buccaneers on September 1, 2015, after breaking his leg early in the preseason.

2015 season

On March 10, 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed Johnson to a one-year deal.[6] On September 1, 2015, Johnson was waived by the Buccaneers.[7] On September 2, 2015, the Buccaneers placed Johnson on season-ending injured reserve.[8] On December 3, 2015, Johnson was waived from the Buccaneers' injured reserve.[9]

New England Patriots

On December 9, 2015, Johnson was signed by the New England Patriots.[10] He made his Patriots debut the following week in a 27-6 win over the Houston Texans and recorded two passes defensed. On February 17, 2016, Johnson was released by the Patriots.[11]

Carolina Panthers

On July 14, 2016, Johnson signed with the Carolina Panthers.[12] After starting the season on the reserve/non-football injury list after suffering an Achilles injury in March, Johnson was activated to the active roster on October 28, 2016.[13]

Buffalo Bills

On March 17, 2017, Johnson signed with the Buffalo Bills.[14] He played in 15 games with seven starts, recording 52 tackles and seven passes defensed.

New York Giants

On August 3, 2018, Johnson signed with the New York Giants.[15] He was released on September 1, 2018.[16]

Arizona Cardinals

On November 14, 2018, Johnson was signed by the Arizona Cardinals.[17] He played in six games with one start before being released on December 28, 2018.[18]

References

  1. ^ Leonard Johnson Breaks NCAA Record in ISU Loss
  2. ^ "Leonard Johnson, DS #16 CB, Iowa State". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  3. ^ "Spotrac.com: Leonard Johnson contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  4. ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers' final roster cuts come Friday night". tampabay.com. August 31, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  5. ^ "Ourlads.com: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart: 10/01/2012". Ourlads.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  6. ^ "Bucs re-sign Leonard Johnson, give Rainey $1.5-million tender". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  7. ^ "Buccaneers waive Leonard Johnson, Robert Herron to get to 75-man roster". Bucs Nation. September 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "Buccaneers Place WR Robert Herron & CB Leonard Johnson On Season-Ending I.R. - NFL Trade Rumors -". NFL Trade Rumors -. September 2, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "Buccaneers Waived CB Leonard Johnson From I.R. - NFL Trade Rumors -". NFL Trade Rumors -. December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "Bill Belichick Signs CB Leonard Johnson, Loves "Schiano Men" in the Patriots Secondary". Pats Pulpit. December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  11. ^ "Patriots release DB Leonard Johnson". Patriots.com. February 17, 2016. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  12. ^ Strickland, Bryan. "Panthers sign CB Leonard Johnson". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  13. ^ Henson, Max (October 28, 2016). "Panthers activate Johnson, place Williams on IR". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017.
  14. ^ Brown, Chris (March 17, 2017). "Bills make three free agent additions". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017.
  15. ^ "Giants sign CB Leonard Johnson, waive CB Kenneth Durden". Giants Wire. USA Today. August 4, 2018.
  16. ^ Eisen, Michael (September 1, 2018). "New York Giants announce 53-man roster". Giants.com.
  17. ^ Urban, Darren (November 14, 2018). "Adding A Pair Of Corners: Cardinals Sign David Amerson, Leonard Johnson". AZCardinals.com.
  18. ^ "Cardinals promote WR Malachi Dupre, DT Pasoni Tasini from practice squad". Cards Wire. USA Today. December 28, 2018.