Zack Johnson (American football) explained

Zack Johnson
Current Team:Cleveland Browns
Number:63
Position:Offensive guard
Birth Date:January 19, 1997
Birth Place:Blaine, Minnesota, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:6
Weight Lb:315
High School:Spring Lake Park (MN)
College:North Dakota State (2015–2019)
Undraftedyear:2020
Pastteams:
Status:Active
Highlights:
Statlabel1:Games played
Statvalue1:1
Statlabel2:Games started
Pfr:JohnZa00

Zackary J. Johnson (born 1997) is an American professional 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.

Early life

Johnson 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

Johnson 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.[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

Green Bay Packers

After 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

Johnson was signed to the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals on September 30, 2021.[17] He was released on October 29.[18]

Denver Broncos

On 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

The Baltimore Ravens signed Johnson to their practice squad on September 27, 2022.[23] He was released on December 20.[24]

Tennessee Titans

On 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

On 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

On July 27, 2024, Johnson signed with the Cleveland Browns.[33]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zack Johnson Stats. Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. Web site: Zack Johnson Stats. Pro Football Archives.
  3. Web site: Zack Johnson. North Dakota State Bison.
  4. News: The Bison Zack Johnson attack got its debut at Northern Iowa. Grand Forks Herald. Kolpack, Jeff. November 1, 2016.
  5. Web site: North Dakota State football championships: A complete history. National Collegiate Athletic Association. April 28, 2023. Chiusano, Anthony.
  6. Web site: Zack to the Pack: Spring Lake Park grad signs with Green Bay. Hometown Source. April 27, 2020. Slack, Patrick.
  7. Web site: Green Bay Packers: Scouting Report on UDFA Zack Johnson. FanSided. Bretl, Paul. May 26, 2020.
  8. Web site: 2020 NFL Draft: D1-FCS Scouting Reports. Pro Football Network. Pauline, Tony. April 9, 2020.
  9. Broncos Player Profile: Zack Johnson #68 Interior Offensive Line. Sports Illustrated. July 2, 2022. Trickel, Erick.
  10. News: Broncos offseason roster: No. 68, G Zack Johnson. USA Today. June 10, 2020. Kellem, Joshua.
  11. News: Former Bison OL Zack Johnson signs with Denver Broncos. Inforum. Peterson, Eric. May 17, 2022.
  12. Web site: NFL Roster Cuts: What former NDSU Bison made 53-man rosters. KFYR-TV. Beesley, Greg. September 5, 2020.
  13. News: Packers announce 14-player practice squad. USA Today. Kruse, Zach. September 7, 2020.
  14. Web site: Packers elevate G Zack Johnson for gameday. Green Bay Packers. December 19, 2020.
  15. Web site: Green Bay Packers have Signed 19 Players to Futures Deals. FanSided. Bretl, Paul. January 27, 2021.
  16. Web site: Packers Trade CB Jackson. WBAY-TV. Roth, Chris. August 17, 2021.
  17. Web site: Offensive Line Benefits From Emergence Of Josh Jones. Arizona Cardinals. Urban, Darren. September 30, 2021.
  18. 1454182228494217216. AZCardinals. Arizona Cardinals. October 29, 2021. We have activated DL Corey Peters from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, and released OL Zack Johnson..
  19. Web site: Broncos roster review: Offensive lineman Zack Johnson. SB Nation. Lynch, Tim. July 4, 2022.
  20. Web site: Broncos sign six players to future contracts. Denver Broncos. DiLalla, Aric. January 10, 2022.
  21. Web site: Zack Johnson Transactions & Injuries. SportsForecaster.com.
  22. Denver Broncos Final Roster Cut-Down Tracker. Sports Illustrated. Jensen, Chad. August 29, 2022.
  23. Web site: NFL news roundup: Latest league updates from Tuesday, Sept. 27. National Football League. September 27, 2022.
  24. News: Ravens announce five moves on Tuesday. USA Today. Rudden, Steve. December 20, 2022.
  25. Web site: Titans Sign QB Josh Dobbs to 53-Man Roster While Placing OL Dillon Radunz on Injured Reserve. Tennessee Titans. Wyatt, Jim. December 21, 2022.
  26. Offseason Roster Construction Underway. Sports Illustrated. Boclair, David. January 10, 2023.
  27. Tannehill, Two Others Placed on IR. Sports Illustrated. Boclair, David. December 29, 2022.
  28. Web site: Zack Johnson Career Game Log. Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  29. Web site: Moraitis . Mike . January 10, 2023 . Tennessee Titans sign 11 players to futures contracts . 2023-09-03 . Titans Wire . USA Today.
  30. Web site: Wyatt . Jim . August 27, 2023 . Titans Release Kicker Michael Badgley, Waive Five Others . 2023-08-27 . TennesseeTitans.com . en-US.
  31. USFLStallions . Free Agent Signing . 1712260134301540470 . October 11, 2023 . October 11, 2023.
  32. Web site: 2024-06-05 . UFL Announces Inaugural All-UFL Team . 2024-06-06 . www.theufl.com . en.
  33. Web site: Larsen . James . 2024-07-27 . Browns Sign All-UFL Birmingham Stallions OG Zack Johnson . 2024-07-29 . Pro Football Newsroom . en-US.