Zackary J. Johnson (born 1997) is an American football offensive guard for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Dakota State and has also been a member of the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, and Baltimore Ravens.
Johnson with the Birmingham Stallions in 2024 | |||
No. 63 – Cleveland Browns | |||
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Position: | Offensive guard | ||
Personal information | |||
Born: | Blaine, Minnesota, U.S. | January 19, 1997||
Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||
Weight: | 315 lb (143 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
High school: | Spring Lake Park (MN) | ||
College: | North Dakota State (2015–2019) | ||
Undrafted: | 2020 | ||
Career history | |||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
Roster status: | Active | ||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Career NFL statistics | |||
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Player stats at PFR |
Early life
editJohnson was born in Blaine, Minnesota; sources conflict on whether it was January 19 or November 14, 1997.[1][2] His brother, Ben, played college football at Bemidji State.[3] Johnson attended Spring Lake Park High School and was a three-year varsity letter winner in football, while additionally playing hockey.[3] In football, he played at offensive tackle, defensive tackle and placekicker, earning as a senior Associated Press third-team all-state honors, as well as Star Tribune second-team all-metro.[3] He committed to play college football for the North Dakota State University Bison (NDSU).[4]
College career
editJohnson redshirted as a true freshman at North Dakota State in 2015.[3] He was a member of their national championship team that season, although he saw no playing time.[3][5] He saw limited action in 2016, only seeing offensive playing time in the final few games.[4] Playing left tackle, he was lined up directly next to another player named Zack Johnson when on offense.[4] He appeared in a total of eight games on the season.[3]
Johnson became a full-time starter at right tackle as a sophomore in 2017, a position he held for the rest of his college career.[3][6][7] He started all 15 games and helped NDSU set a school record in rushing yards, being named honorable mention all-conference as they went on to win the national championship.[3][8] In 2018, he again started every game, allowing only two sacks as North Dakota State won another national championship.[3][9] Johnson was named an FCS All-American and a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) selection for his performance.[8][10]
As a senior in 2019, Johnson moved to right guard and started all 16 games, only allowing one sack while helping NDSU win their third-straight national championship.[3][9][11] He was named first-team All-American and first-team All-MVFC, and was later invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.[3][6]
Professional career
editGreen Bay Packers
editAfter going unselected in the 2020 NFL draft, Johnson was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent.[6] He was released at the final roster cuts, but was soon after re-signed to the practice squad.[12][13] He was elevated to the active roster for their game with the Carolina Panthers, but did not appear in the match.[1][14] Johnson signed a reserve/futures contract with the team on January 27, 2021.[15] He was released on August 17, 2021.[16]
Arizona Cardinals
editJohnson was signed to the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals on September 30, 2021.[17] He was released on October 29.[18]
Denver Broncos
editOn November 24, 2021, Johnson was signed to the practice squad of the Denver Broncos.[19] He was signed to a futures contract on January 10, 2022.[20] Johnson was released by the Broncos on May 13, before being re-signed on May 17.[21] He was released at the final roster cuts on August 30.[22]
Baltimore Ravens
editThe Baltimore Ravens signed Johnson to their practice squad on September 27, 2022.[23] He was released on December 20.[24]
Tennessee Titans
editOn December 21, 2022, Johnson was signed to the practice squad by the Tennessee Titans when his former NDSU teammate Dillon Radunz went on injured reserve.[25][26] Johnson was elevated to the active roster for the Titans' game against the Dallas Cowboys, and made his debut in the 27–13 loss, appearing on four offensive and three special teams snaps.[27][28] He signed a future contract on January 10, 2023.[29] He was waived on August 27, 2023.[30]
Birmingham Stallions
editOn October 11, 2023, Johnson signed with the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL).[31] He was named to the 2024 All-UFL team on June 5, 2024.[32]
Cleveland Browns
editOn July 27, 2024, Johnson signed with the Cleveland Browns.[33]
References
edit- ^ a b "Zack Johnson Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "Zack Johnson Stats". Pro Football Archives.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Zack Johnson". North Dakota State Bison.
- ^ a b c Kolpack, Jeff (November 1, 2016). "The Bison Zack Johnson attack got its debut at Northern Iowa". Grand Forks Herald.
- ^ Chiusano, Anthony (April 28, 2023). "North Dakota State football championships: A complete history". National Collegiate Athletic Association.
- ^ a b c Slack, Patrick (April 27, 2020). "Zack to the Pack: Spring Lake Park grad signs with Green Bay". Hometown Source.
- ^ Bretl, Paul (May 26, 2020). "Green Bay Packers: Scouting Report on UDFA Zack Johnson". FanSided.
- ^ a b Pauline, Tony (April 9, 2020). "2020 NFL Draft: D1-FCS Scouting Reports". Pro Football Network.
- ^ a b Trickel, Erick (July 2, 2022). "Broncos Player Profile: Zack Johnson #68 | Interior Offensive Line". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Kellem, Joshua (June 10, 2020). "Broncos offseason roster: No. 68, G Zack Johnson". USA Today.
- ^ Peterson, Eric (May 17, 2022). "Former Bison OL Zack Johnson signs with Denver Broncos". Inforum.
- ^ Beesley, Greg (September 5, 2020). "NFL Roster Cuts: What former NDSU Bison made 53-man rosters". KFYR-TV.
- ^ Kruse, Zach (September 7, 2020). "Packers announce 14-player practice squad". USA Today.
- ^ "Packers elevate G Zack Johnson for gameday". Green Bay Packers. December 19, 2020.
- ^ Bretl, Paul (January 27, 2021). "Green Bay Packers have Signed 19 Players to Futures Deals". FanSided.
- ^ Roth, Chris (August 17, 2021). "Packers Trade CB Jackson". WBAY-TV.
- ^ Urban, Darren (September 30, 2021). "Offensive Line Benefits From Emergence Of Josh Jones". Arizona Cardinals.
- ^ Arizona Cardinals [@AZCardinals] (October 29, 2021). "We have activated DL Corey Peters from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, and released OL Zack Johnson" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Lynch, Tim (July 4, 2022). "Broncos roster review: Offensive lineman Zack Johnson". SB Nation.
- ^ DiLalla, Aric (January 10, 2022). "Broncos sign six players to future contracts". Denver Broncos.
- ^ "Zack Johnson Transactions & Injuries". SportsForecaster.com.
- ^ Jensen, Chad (August 29, 2022). "Denver Broncos Final Roster Cut-Down Tracker". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "NFL news roundup: Latest league updates from Tuesday, Sept. 27". National Football League. September 27, 2022.
- ^ Rudden, Steve (December 20, 2022). "Ravens announce five moves on Tuesday". USA Today.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 21, 2022). "Titans Sign QB Josh Dobbs to 53-Man Roster While Placing OL Dillon Radunz on Injured Reserve". Tennessee Titans.
- ^ Boclair, David (January 10, 2023). "Offseason Roster Construction Underway". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Boclair, David (December 29, 2022). "Tannehill, Two Others Placed on IR". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Zack Johnson Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Moraitis, Mike (January 10, 2023). "Tennessee Titans sign 11 players to futures contracts". Titans Wire. USA Today. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 27, 2023). "Titans Release Kicker Michael Badgley, Waive Five Others". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ @USFLStallions (October 11, 2023). "Free Agent Signing" (Tweet). Retrieved October 11, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "UFL Announces Inaugural All-UFL Team". www.theufl.com. June 5, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ Larsen, James (July 27, 2024). "Browns Sign All-UFL Birmingham Stallions OG Zack Johnson". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved July 29, 2024.