Dontae Johnson (born December 1, 1991) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

and was selected by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in the fourth round of the

2014 NFL draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. He was also a member of 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, and

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

Early life

Johnson was born in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",

and grew up in

South Plainfield, New Jersey South Plainfield is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in northern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is situated on the border with Union County, New Jersey, Union County in the Raritan Riv ...

. He attended South Plainfield High School his freshman year before transferring to

The Pennington School The Pennington School is an independent, coeducational college preparatory school for day and boarding students located in Pennington, Mercer County, New Jersey. The school operates for students in sixth through twelfth grades. The Head of S ...

. He was selected to the New Jersey all-prep first-team. He had 108

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, six

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s along with three forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

s in his senior season. He also played AAU basketball in high school.

College career

During his junior season, Johnson was selected ACC Defensive Back of the Week for his performance against Wake Forest on November 12, 2012. He was invited to the

2014 Senior Bowl The 2014 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featured players from the 2013 college football season, and prospects for the 2014 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game concluded the post-seaso ...

as a member of the North team.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Coming out of NC State, Johnson was projected by some

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

experts to be a third or fourth round pick, while others projected him to be selected in the fifth or sixth round. He received an invitation to the

NFL combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. On March 24, 2014, he chose to participate at NC State's

pro day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

, but opted to only perform positional drills for NFL team representatives and scouts. Johnson was ranked the 25th best

prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.

San Francisco 49ers (first stint)

2014 season

The

selected Johnson in the fourth round (129th overall) of the

. He was the 16th cornerback selected in the draft. On May 15, 2014, the 49ers signed Johnson to a four-year, $2.62 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $400,544. He competed with Chris Culliver,

Tramaine Brock Tramaine Brock Sr. (born August 20, 1988) is an American former professional football cornerback. He played college football at Belhaven University and the University of Minnesota before signing with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free ...

, Perrish Cox, Chris Cook, Kenneth Acker, and Darryl Morris throughout

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

in 2014 for the job as the starting cornerback. Head coach

Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh ( ; born December 23, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at ...

named Johnson the fifth cornerback on the depth chart, behind veterans Brock, Culliver, Cox, and Chris Cook. He made his professional regular season debut in the 49ers' season-opener at the

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and recorded two solo tackles and two

pass deflections In American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, f ...

in their 28–17 victory. On October 13, 2014, Johnson made a tackle, a pass deflection, and made his first career interception after picking off a pass attempt by Austin Davis and returning it for a 20-yard

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

during a 31–17 win over the

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

. During a Week 14 matchup against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

, Johnson collected a season-high seven combined tackles as the 49ers lost 24–13. On December 14, 2014, he earned his first career start and recorded four combined tackles and deflected a pass in a 17–7 loss at the

. He finished his rookie season with 34 combined tackles (26 solo), six pass deflections, an interception, and a touchdown in three starts and 16 games. The 49ers and Harbaugh mutually parted ways after they finished with an 8–8 season in 2014.

2015 season

Johnson returned to training camp in 2015 to compete with Brock, Shareece Wright, Chris Cook,

Leon McFadden Leon McFadden (born April 26, 1944) is an American right-handed former Major League Baseball shortstop and outfielder who played from to for the Houston Astros. He also played one season in Japan for the Hanshin Tigers, in . Career Prior to ...

, Acker, and

Keith Reaser Keith Reaser (born July 31, 1991) is an American former professional football cornerback. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at Florida Atlantic. College career Reaser ...

for the starting cornerback position. New head coach

Jim Tomsula James Andrew Tomsula (born April 14, 1968) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Rhein Fire of the European League of Football (ELF). Serving as a defensive coach throughout his career, Tomsula has also been the head coach f ...

named Johnson the third cornerback on the 49ers depth chart behind Brock and Acker. On November 8, 2015, Johnson received his first start of the season and recorded a season-high six solo tackles and two pass deflections during a 17–16 victory over the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. On January 3, 2016, he earned a season-high seven combined tackles and defended a pass in the 49ers' 19–16 defeat of the Rams. He finished the 2015 season with a total of 32 combined tackles (29 solo) and five pass deflections in three starts and 16 games. The 49ers opted to fire Tomsula after they finished with a 5–11 record in 2015.

2016 season

Johnson competed with Brock,

Jimmie Ward James Ward (born July 18, 1991) is an American professional football safety for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northern Illinois Huskies, and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers ...

, Chris Davis, Acker, Keith Reaser, and Rashard Robinson through training camp for the starting cornerback position. Head coach

Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as a college foo ...

named Johnson the third cornerback on the 49ers' depth chart to begin the regular season. During a Week 10 matchup against at the

, Johnson recorded a season-high three combined tackles in the 49ers' 23–20 loss. On January 1, 2017, he collected a season-high four combined tackles and a season-high two pass deflections, as the 49ers lost 25–23 to the Seahawks. His production fell under head coach Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil in 2016 and Johnson finished the season with 15 combined tackles (11 solo) and three pass deflections in 15 games and zero starts. The 49ers finished with a 2–14 record and ultimately fired their head coach Chip Kelly.

2017 season

Johnson returned to 49ers' training camp in 2017 and competed with Rashard Robinson,

, Ahkello Witherspoon, and K'Waun Williams for the job as the starting cornerback. Head coach

Kyle Shanahan Kyle Michael Shanahan (born December 14, 1979) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta ...

named Johnson the starting cornerback, along with Robinson and Williams as nickelback, to begin the 2017 season. He started the 49ers' season-opener against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

and recorded two solo tackles in a 23–3 loss. On October 1, 2017, Johnson collected eight combined tackles and a season-high two pass deflections during a 18–15 loss at the Cardinals. The next week, he earned a career-high nine combined tackles as the 49ers lost to 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

26–23. On December 24, 2017, Johnson made his second career interception after picking off a pass attempt by

Blake Bortles Robby Blake Bortles (born April 28, 1992) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the UCF ...

and returning it for a 50-yard touchdown during a 44–33 win over the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. Johnson led the 49ers in tackles during the 2017 season, but despite this statistical output, he also struggled mightily in pass coverage, with

Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...

giving him an overall grade of 36.9 on the season.

Seattle Seahawks

On April 11, 2018, Johnson signed with the Seahawks. He was projected to be one of the starting cornerbacks to start the season; however, he suffered a groin injury and 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 ...

. On September 27, the Seahawks released Johnson from injured reserve.

Buffalo Bills

On October 2, 2018, Johnson signed with the

. He was released on October 30, 2018.

Arizona Cardinals

On November 27, 2018, Johnson signed with the Cardinals. He was released on December 18, 2018.

Kansas City Chiefs

On February 22, 2019, Johnson was signed by the

. He was released on May 20, 2019.

San Francisco 49ers (second stint)

On May 28, 2019, Johnson was signed by the 49ers. On August 19, 2019, he caught an interception in a preseason game. He was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.

Los Angeles Chargers

On September 11, 2019, Johnson was signed by the

. He was released on September 28, 2019.

San Francisco 49ers (third stint)

On October 3, 2019, Johnson was signed by the 49ers. He was released on November 11. He was re-signed on December 11, 2019. Johnson and the 49ers reached

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 NFL season, 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2019 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City ...

, but lost 31–20 to the

. On April 13, 2020, Johnson re-signed with the 49ers. He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on September 12 for the team's week 1 game against the Cardinals and reverted to the practice squad on September 14. He was promoted to the active roster on September 16, 2020. In Week 17 against the Seahawks, Johnson recorded his first career

sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...

Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...

during the 26–23 loss. On March 19, 2021, Johnson re-signed with the 49ers. He was released on September 6, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on September 14. On March 24, 2022, Johnson re-signed with the 49ers. He was released on August 30, 2022, and re-signed to the practice squad. On December 11, he suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

NC State Wolfpack bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Dontae 1991 births Living people South Plainfield High School alumni Players of American football from Middlesex County, New Jersey Players of American football from Plainfield, New Jersey People from South Plainfield, New Jersey The Pennington School alumni American football cornerbacks NC State Wolfpack football players San Francisco 49ers players Seattle Seahawks players Buffalo Bills players Arizona Cardinals players Kansas City Chiefs players Los Angeles Chargers players