Rufus Johnson (American football)
| No. -- Free agent | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | August 28, 1990 | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 272 lb (123 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Dallas (TX) Grady Spruce | ||||||||
| College: | Tarleton State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2013 / Round: 6 / Pick: 183 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 6, 2015 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Rufus Johnson (born August 28, 1990) is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tarleton State.[1]
College Career
Johnson is only the fourth player from Tarleton to be drafted by the NFL, and as the 183rd overall pick he is the highest NFL draft pick in school history. As a senior he was Lone Star Conference defensive lineman of the year, and was chosen for several Division II all-America teams.[2] Before Tarleton, he spent two years at Kilgore College.[3] He caught the Saints' attention with a strong performance at the Texas vs The Nation all-star game.[4][5]
Professional Career
New Orleans Saints
Johnson spent the entire 2013 regular season on the Saints practice squad, but was promoted for the teams divisional round playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Johnson was inactive for the game.[6] The Saints released Johnson on August 26, 2014.[7]
New England Patriots
On December 31, 2014, the New England Patriots signed Johnson to a future/reserve contract.[8] After impressing many in the preseason Johnson made the Patriots 53-man roster for the start of the 2015 NFL season, he appeared in his first game as a pro and recorded his first tackle in the Patriots week two victory against Buffalo.[9] On October 28, 2015 he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list due to an illness, ending his 2015 season.[10]
On September 3, 2016, Johnson was released by the Patriots as part of final roster cuts.[11] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Patriots as part of final roster cuts.[12] He was signed to the Patriots' practice squad the next day.[13] On September 7, 2016, Johnson was released from the Patriots' practice squad.[14]
References
- ↑ Glenn Guilbeau, "Saints eye another gem in Tarleton State's Rufus Johnson", Shreveport Times, February 23, 2013.
- ↑ Brad Keith, "Tarleton's Johnson drafted by Saints: Defensive end is Texans' highest-ever pick", Stephenville Empire-Tribune, April 27, 2013.
- ↑ Mark David, "College notes: Tarleton State's Rufus trying impress NFL scouts", Abilene Reporter-News, February 6, 2013.
- ↑ Mike Triplett, "New Orleans Saints follow same obscure path with Tarleton State DE Rufus Johnson that has led to great success in past", Times-Picayune, April 27, 2013.
- ↑ "Saints Impressed by Rufus Johnson at the Texas vs. The Nation Game", NewOrleansSaints.com, April 27, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.patriots.com/team/players/roster/rufus-johnson
- ↑ New Orleans Saints announce roster moves
- ↑ Kyed, Doug. "Patriots Sign Three, Including RB Dion Lewis, To Future Contracts". NESN. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ↑ http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2015/09/rufus_johnson_and_chris_harper.html
- ↑ http://espn.go.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4786871/de-rufus-johnsons-season-ends-due-to-illness-patriots-claim-safety
- ↑ "Patriots reach the 53-man roster limit". Patriots.com.
- ↑ "Patriots reach the 53-man roster limit". Patriots.com.
- ↑ "Patriots sign eight players to the practice squad". Patriots.com.
- ↑ "Patriots sign LB Quentin Gause to practice squad; Release LB Rufus Johnson from practice squad". Patriots.com.