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Dontae Johnson

Vikings Meet With CB Dontae Johnson

April 10th, 2018 at 3:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings hosted former 49ers cornerback Dontae Johnson on a free agent visit, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Johnson, a 2014 fourth round pick, started in 16 games for the Niners last season. 

Johnson served as a reserve for the first three years of his career, but stepped up into a larger role in 2017. Going by the advanced metrics, it wasn’t necessarily a success. The 26-year-old ranked near the bottom of Football Outsiders’ yards allowed per pass and success rate. Meanwhile, he graded out as the third worst qualified corner in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, as he placed 118th out of 121 possible players.

The Vikings lost a supporting cornerback this offseason when Tramaine Brock signed with the Broncos. Marcus Sherels has been retained with a new deal, but the status of 39-year-old Terence Newman remains up in the air. If signed, Johnson would provide Minnesota with some depth in the secondary.

Seahawks Meet With DT Bennie Logan, CB Dontae Johnson

March 20th, 2018 at 5:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks have conducted visits with free agent defensive tackle Bennie Logan and cornerback Dontae Johnson, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Seattle is seeking to replace defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who inked a one-year deal with the Vikings last week, and Logan could help in that regard. Logan can’t offer the interior pass rush that can Richardson, but he’s a run-stuffer that can plug the middle of the line. The 28-year-old Logan is fresh off a one-year, $8MM pact with the Chiefs, a deal he signed following four seasons with the Eagles.

Johnson, meanwhile, started 16 games for the 49ers in 2017 after serving as a reserve for the first three years of his career. The results weren’t great, as Johnson ranked near the bottom of Football Outsiders’ yards allowed per pass and success rate. He’d give Seattle depth after the club cut ties with fellow cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Jeremy Lane and lost DeShawn Shead to free agency.

NFC Notes: Griffin, Stafford, Forbath, 49ers

November 24th, 2017 at 6:15pm CST by GregGoldstein

The Seahawks defense continues to take hits on the injury front as the team has now learned that starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers with a concussion, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune (Twitter link). Bell adds that lineman Oday Aboushi will miss the matchup with a shoulder injury as well, so Seattle will once again have to expose backups to expansive playing time.

It would seem that cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane will get the starts on the outside, with either rookie Ethan Pocic or third-year lineman Mark Glowinski filling in for Aboushi at right guard.

Seattle’s roster looks a whole lot different without the likes of Griffin, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor in the starting lineup, which has contributed greatly to the Seahawks up-and-down sort of season. The team still has an outstanding defensive line and is right in the thick of the playoff race, but is currently facing a lot of adversity as it continues to lose quality players as the season wears on.

  • In what was a tremendous show of resiliency on Thanksgiving, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford actually finished the game after he suffered what looked to be a serious leg injury. However, even though the talented QB was able to return, you can clearly see that he is not 100% in a video posted to Instagram by Davie Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, depicting Stafford hobbling away after his postgame press conference. It remains to be seen whether Stafford can continue to play in the weeks to come, but we should learn more about the overall severity of the injury next week.
  • Vikings kicker Kai Forbath apparently cut his foot on the nullified block field goal, but should not miss any time moving forward, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Forbath had been one of the best kickers in the league up until the last few weeks when he missed two field goals against the Rams and suffered the aforementioned blocked kick yesterday.
  • The 49ers are as expected not in playoff contention this year, but still await some key decisions on potential free agents at season’s end. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, looked at six impending free agents who could be on the way out after the 2017 season is over. Branch noted running back Carlos Hyde, safety Eric Reid, center Daniel Kilgore, defensive end Aaron Lynch, defensive lineman Tank Carradine and cornerback Dontae Johnson as all guys that seemed primed to test the open market. There are a variety of factors that go into these decisions, but it’s interesting to see how the team may approach these players in the final six weeks of the season given their impending free agency.

Draft Signings: 49ers, Jets, Johnson, Boyd

May 15th, 2014 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

There have been a flood of draft signings so far today, and you can get caught up on the earlier ones with our previous roundups. We’ll be keeping track of signings from rounds 3-7 in these posts while dedicating individual posts to players taken in the top two rounds. The latest signings..

  • The Texans have agreed to sign sixth-round fullback Jay Prosch (Auburn), according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter).
  • The 49ers have agreed to terms on a deal with fourth-round pick cornerback Dontae Johnson, a source tells Adam Caplan of NFL.com (on Twitter). The corner is known mainly for his speed and versatility and can play pretty much any position in the secondary.
  • The Jets have signed sixth-round pick Tajh Boyd to a four-year deal, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Clemson quarterback will look to hook on as the club’s third option behind incumbent Geno Smith and free agent pickup Michael Vick.
  • The Jets also signed fourth-round wide receiver Shaq Evans, tweets Caplan. The 6’1”, 213-pound UCLA product boasts solid hands, route running abilities, and overall instincts.

Draft Visits: Bradford, Vereen, Shembo, Tripp

April 28th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

2014’s period of pre-draft visits for prospects and NFL teams came to an end yesterday. Players will no longer be permitted to visit clubs between now and the draft on May 8, though teams are still allowed to work out players. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com have some details on some players who made visits prior to yesterday’s deadline, so let’s round up the highlights….

  • Arizona State outside linebacker Carl Bradford worked out for the Falcons and visited the Steelers, 49ers, and Chargers, reports Wilson. The Jaguars and Dolphins were among the other clubs to meet with Bradford, who is viewed as a potential second-round target.
  • The Giants hosted Richmond wide receiver Ben Edwards for a visit, according to Wilson. Edwards, who caught more than 200 passes during his college career, had his Pro Day attended by 20 NFL teams. Wilson adds that Minnesota safety Brock Vereen also visited the Giants.
  • Notre Dame outside linebacker Prince Shembo visited the Packers and also privately worked out for the Patriots, Jaguars, and Falcons, league sources tell Wilson.
  • Wilson also has the latest on Florida cornerback Jaylen Watkins, the brother of Sammy Watkins. According to Wilson, the former Gators DB has visited the Redskins, Falcons, and Eagles, and worked out for the Panthers and Patriots. Watkins met with the Colts and Lions as well.
  • In addition to his previously reported visits with the Falcons and Eagles, Montana linebacker Jordan Tripp also had workouts for the Patriots and Panthers, tweets Caplan.
  • In a separate tweet, Caplan adds North Carolina State defensive back Dontae Johnson to the list of prospects who visited the Eagles.