Curtis Edward Johnson (born February 16, 1985) 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 ...

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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in 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 ...

for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

and

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

. He was signed by the

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 ...

in 2008. 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 ...

Clark Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Found ...

Early years

Johnson was born in

Lauderhill, Florida Lauderhill, officially the City of Lauderhill, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census,the city's population was 74,482. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,01 ...

and moved to

Clay, New York Clay is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 58,206, making it Syracuse's most populous suburb. The town was named after American attorney and statesman Henry Clay. Clay is north of Syracus ...

. He attended Cicero-North Syracuse High School, where he was a two-time Section III All-state selection at

. As a senior, he received All-Central New York honors and Post-Standard All-CNY honors at running back.

College career

Johnson accepted a football scholarship from

Morrisville State College State University of New York at Morrisville (formerly Morrisville State College) or SUNY Morrisville is a public college with two locations in New York, one in Morrisville and one in Norwich. It is part of the State University of New York syst ...

. As a freshman he started 10 games at

and had 12 sacks. He posted 152 tackles (72 solo) and 12 sacks in 2 years, while being a two-time All-Northeast Football Conference selection. He transferred to Division II

after his sophomore season. As a junior, he started 10 games, registering 75 tackles (50 solo), 5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. He led the Division II with 9 forced fumbles. As a senior, he started 11 games, making 112 tackles (69 solo), 14 sacks and led the Division II with an average of 2.5 tackles for loss-per-game. He was named SIAC Defensive Player of the Year and Daktronics All-American. He finished his career at Clark with 187 tackles (119 solo) in 21 career games.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Indianapolis Colts

Johnson was signed as an

by the

after the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

on May 2. As a rookie, he was declared inactive for the first 3 games. He appeared in seven games as a backup

and special teamer, making 5 defensive tackles (2 solo), one sack and 6

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles. He was waived injured on August 31, 2009.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 1, 2009, he was claimed off waivers by the

. He was moved to

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in the team's 3-4 defense. He missed 4 games with a hamstring injury. He appeared in 3 games and had 2

tackles. He was released on September 4, 2010.

St. Louis Rams

On September 5, 2010, the

signed Johnson to their practice squad. On October 20, he was promoted to the active roster to play

. On October 25, he was released and re-signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. On December 22, he was promoted to the active roster. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

New Orleans Saints

On July 29, 2011, he was signed by 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 ...

to play

. On August 6, he was released to make room for defensive end Jeff Charleston.

Toronto Argonauts (CFL)

On May 10, 2012, Johnson was signed by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. He was released in May.

Miami Sting (UIFL)

On December 21, 2012, Johnson signed with the

Miami Sting The Miami Sting were a professional indoor football team based in Coral Gables, Florida. The Sting was to play its home games at the BankUnited Center on the campus of the University of Miami in Coral Gables. The Sting folded just before the 201 ...

of the

Ultimate Indoor Football League The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011 as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012 ...

(UIFL) to play as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. The team folded before the season began.

Personal life

His brother J.R. Johnson played

in the

NFL 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 major ...

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Curtis 1985 births Living people People from Lauderhill, Florida Players of American football from Florida American football defensive ends American football linebackers Morrisville State College alumni Morrisville Mustangs football players Clark Atlanta Panthers football players Indianapolis Colts players Dallas Cowboys players St. Louis Rams players New Orleans Saints players People from Clay, New York Players of American football from Syracuse, New York