Leonard Johnson (born March 30, 1990) is a former
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, field with goalposts at e ...
cornerbacks
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 ...
who is currently a coaching assistant for the
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 ...
. He was signed by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...
in 2012. 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 ...
for the
Iowa State Cyclones
The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 1 ...
. He has also played for the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
,
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 ...
, Buffalo Bills,
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, and
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 ...
.
College career
Johnson attended
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...
from 2008 to 2011. As a freshman in 2008, he set an NCAA record for most
kick return
A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of atta ...
yards in a game with 319. During his career he started 43 of 50 games, recording 247 tackles and six
interceptions
In ball-playing 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 a player of the same team bu ...
.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2012 season
On April 30, 2012, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
signed Johnson to a three-year,
$1.44 million
contract
A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
that includes a
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $5,000.
Throughout training camp, Johnson competed for a roster spot as a backup cornerback against
E. J. Biggers
Edjaun Sinclair "E. J." Biggers (born June 13, 1987) is an American former professional football cornerback that played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Michigan University, and was selected by the Tam ...
,
Brandon McDonald,
Myron Lewis, and
Anthony Gaitor
Anthony Gaitor (born October 9, 1988) is an American former professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of ...
. Head coach
Greg Schiano
Gregory Edward Schiano (born June 1, 1966) is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano has the most wins in program ...
named Johnson the fifth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season. He was listed behind
Aqib Talib
Aqib Talib (born February 13, 1986) is an American former professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Kansas, where he received unanimous All-American honor ...
,
Eric Wright, Brandon McDonald, and E. J. Biggers.
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. On September 1, 2015, Johnson was waived by the Buccaneers. On September 2, 2015, the Buccaneers placed Johnson on season-ending injured reserve. On December 3, 2015, Johnson was waived from the Buccaneers' injured reserve.
New England Patriots
On December 9, 2015, Johnson was signed by the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
. He made his Patriots debut the following week in a 27-6 win over 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 ...
and recorded two passes defensed. On February 17, 2016, Johnson was released by the Patriots.
Carolina Panthers
On July 14, 2016, Johnson signed with 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 ...
. 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.
Buffalo Bills
On March 17, 2017, Johnson signed with the
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 ...
. 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
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
. He was released on September 1, 2018.
Arizona Cardinals
On November 14, 2018, Johnson was signed by the
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 ...
. He played in six games with one start before being released on December 28, 2018.
References
External links
Iowa State Cyclones bio
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Leonard
1990 births
Living people
American football cornerbacks
American football return specialists
Arizona Cardinals players
Buffalo Bills players
Carolina Panthers players
Iowa State Cyclones football players
New England Patriots players
New York Giants players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Buffalo Bills coaches