Jaleel Johnson (born July 12, 1994) is a former American 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 ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Johnson was drafted by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in the fourth round, 109th overall of the

2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

Early life

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Johnson grew up in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn. As a teenager, his parents sent him to live with an aunt in Chicago where he had a better chance to thrive. He played football and wrestled at St. Joseph High School in

Westchester, Illinois Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,892 at the 2020 census. History The area now known as Westchester was occupied by German farmers beginning in the mid-19th ...

, where he was a three-year starter as a

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

and

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

and was named first-team All-area. However, in the middle of his junior year, due to a coaching change and a losing season, Johnson transferred to Montini Catholic High School for his senior season, and in his only campaign at Montini, Johnson was named team captain and earned first-team All-state, All-conference and All-area honors as well as prep

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

recognition after helping the Broncos post 12-2 a record while winning the state championship, finishing with a 70–45 victory over Joliet Catholic. He recorded 80

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 ...

, including five tackles for loss, three sacks and nine pressures. During his time at St. Joseph, Johnson also earned two letters as a heavyweight wrestler. Regarded as a four-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', Johnson received scholarship offers from half of the Big Ten. It was

coach

Kirk Ferentz Kirk James Ferentz (born August 1, 1955) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since the 1999 season. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the Universi ...

who convinced him to play for the Hawkeyes after he sent a personal letter that made an impression on Johnson. He took a few visits to Iowa City and decided to sign with the Hawkeyes. Shortly after Signing Day, Johnson decommitted to take a closer look at

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

one more time, but ended up committing back to Iowa.

College career

Johnson played at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

from 2012 to 2016. Johnson had to wait a while before getting significant playing time due to Iowa's depth in the interior defensive line. He redshirted in 2012, and played in seven games as a reserve defensive tackle the following season, and then had 11 tackles, 2.5 for loss, as a backup in 2014. Given the starting role as a junior in 2015, Johnson garnered honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. Johnson stepped up his game in 2016, being named first-team All-Conference after leading his team with 10 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. In Iowa's biggest game in 2016 against No. 3

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, Johnson was one of the biggest reasons the Hawkeyes won 14–13, as he led the team with 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and a safety in the second quarter. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Johnson ranked sixth among defensive tackles in pass rush productivity with 43 combined pressures in 330 snaps. During his five-year career with the Hawkeyes, Johnson posted 113 tackles, 18.5 of them for loss and 12.5 sacks.

Statistics

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Johnson was drafted by the

in the fourth round with the 109th overall selection in the

. Over his first three seasons in the NFL, Johnson played mainly in a reserve role, making four starts while also recording four sacks over that period, including 3.5 sacks in 2019. In 2020, Johnson moved into a starting role after projected starter Michael Pierce opted out of the season due to concerns over

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. He started all 16 games and recorded 44 tackles and one and a half sacks.

Houston Texans (first stint)

On April 8, 2021, Johnson signed with the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. He was released on August 31, 2021.

New Orleans Saints (first stint)

On September 6, 2021, Johnson was signed to 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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

practice squad.

Houston Texans (second stint)

On September 15, 2021, Johnson was signed by the Texans off the Saints practice squad after defensive lineman Vincent Taylor suffered an ankle injury.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On April 4, 2022, Johnson signed with the Saints. He was released on August 11, 2022. He was re-signed four days later. He was placed on injured reserve on August 17. On August 23, 2022, he was released with an injury settlement.

Atlanta Falcons (first stint)

On October 5, 2022, Johnson was signed to 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 ...

practice squad.

Houston Texans (third stint)

On October 27, 2022, Johnson was signed by the Texans off the Falcons practice squad. He was released on November 19.

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

On November 21, 2022, Johnson was claimed off waivers by the Falcons.

Tennessee Titans

On May 30, 2023, Johnson signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. He was released on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad on September 20. He was promoted to the active roster on October 28. Johnson was released on November 21 and re-signed eight days later.

Retirement

Johnson announced his retirement on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

on March 19, 2025, after spending the entire 2024 season as an unsigned free agent.

References

External links

Iowa Hawkeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jaleel 1994 births Living people Players of American football from Brooklyn Players of American football from DuPage County, Illinois People from Lombard, Illinois American football defensive tackles Iowa Hawkeyes football players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Minnesota Vikings players New Orleans Saints players Atlanta Falcons players Tennessee Titans players