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Jaleel Johnson

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/14/21

September 14th, 2021 at 6:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Released: OL Mike Hortond

Dallas Cowboysmia

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Saints To Sign DTs Jaleel Johnson, Montravius Adams

September 5th, 2021 at 7:48am CST by Rory Parks

The Saints are expected to sign DT Jaleel Johnson, according to veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). The Texans released Johnson as part of final cutdowns last week.

Though Johnson signed a modest one-year, $1.3MM pact with Houston this offseason, his ouster came as something of a surprise given his generally strong performance in training camp and the preseason. Texans GM Nick Caserio elected to go in a different direction, and New Orleans was quick to pounce.

The Saints will be without DT David Onyemata for the first six games of the season due to a PED suspension, and the club lost fellow D-lineman Jalen Dalton — who had been having a good summer as well — to a season-ending injury. That opens the door for Johnson, a run-stuffer who appeared in all 48 games for the Vikings over the past three seasons (including 16 starts in 2020) to come in and compete for snaps.

Montravius Adams is also hoping to carve out a role for himself in the Big Easy. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported (via Twitter) that the Saints are signing the former Packers third-rounder, who signed with the Patriots in March but who could not crack New England’s final roster.

Adams entered the league with tantalizing raw ability and physical tools, but he played in less than 600 snaps over the course of four seasons in Green Bay. Last year, he was limited to eight games due to a sprained toe, and he did not do quite enough this summer to stick with the Pats.

With Onyemata sidelined, Adams and Johnson will jockey for playing time alongside Shy Tuttle, Malcolm Roach, and Christian Ringo.

Texans Cut OL Lane Taylor, Get Roster To 53

August 31st, 2021 at 7:07pm CST by Ben Levine

While much of the focus in Houston is on quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Texans still needed to reduce their roster today. They did just that, making the following transactions:

Released

Waived

Released/Failed Physical

Activated from PUP

Placed on Reserve/Suspended list

There’s a number of notable names on this list, including wideout Keke Coutee, who has started 10 of his 23 games over the past three years for the Texans. Perhaps the most important move is the activation of Cannon, who was acquired from the Patriots earlier this offseason. The 33-year-old is expected to provide the Texans offense with a veteran presence, and his return to practice may have bumped another veteran from the roster. The team released lineman Lane Taylor, who sat on PUP for all of the preseason while recovering from a torn ACL. The veteran has only appeared in two games since the 2019 season, and his return to the NFL will now have to take place elsewhere.

Contract Details: Smith, Falcons, Texans

April 21st, 2021 at 9:09am CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the details from some of the league’s most recently agreed-upon contracts:

  • Cordarrelle Patterson, WR (Falcons): One year, $3MM. The decorated kick returner’s contract includes a $1.7MM base salary and $1.3MM signing bonus, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets.
  • DeMarcus Walker, DL (Texans): One year, $1.5MM. The ex-Broncos D-lineman will receive $500K guaranteed and can earn up to $200K in per-game roster bonuses, per veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). Walker’s deal will count $1.45MM against the Texans’ cap.
  • Jaleel Johnson, DL (Texans): One year, $1.3MM. Johnson will see $300K of his $1MM base salary guaranteed, Wilson tweets. A $350K incentive also exists within this deal.
  • Roderick Johnson, T (Texans): One year, $1.15MM. Johnson will receive $350K guaranteed. He will be attached to a $920K base salary and can collect $130K in per-game roster bonuses, Wilson tweets.
  • Aldon Smith, DE (Seahawks): One year, $1.13MM. Smith agreed to a deal that includes a nonguaranteed $990K base salary, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets. He will collect a $137K signing bonus, with the contract counting at $988K on Seattle’s cap sheet.
  • Lane Taylor, G (Texans): One year, $1.13MM. Taylor will collect a $138K signing bonus and count $988K toward Houston’s cap, Wilson tweets.
  • Duron Harmon, S (Falcons): One year, $1.1MM. Harmon will receive $363K guaranteed, per Rothstein. He will count $988K against Atlanta’s cap.

Texans To Sign DT Jaleel Johnson

April 7th, 2021 at 6:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Jaleel Johnson‘s visit with the Texans has resulted in a deal. The free agent defensive tackle announced on Twitter that he’s signed with Houston. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has confirmed the news (via Twitter).

The former fourth-round pick out of Iowa had spent his entire career with the Vikings, appearing in each of the team’s 48 regular season games between 2018 and 2020. Following a 2019 campaign that saw Johnson compile a career-high 3.5 sacks, the 26-year-old finished 2020 with 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of the lineman’s performance this past season, however, rating him as one of the worst interior defenders.

Despite his underwhelming performance, Johnson should see some playing time in Houston. Holdovers like Ross Blacklock and additions like Maliek Collins didn’t set the world on fire last season, and as Wilson reported earlier today (via Twitter), the Texans withdrew their tender on defensive tackle P.J. Hall. The former second-rounder started nine games for the Texans last season.

Texans Meet With Lane Taylor, Jaleel Johnson

April 5th, 2021 at 5:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite coming off back-to-back injury-marred seasons, Lane Taylor continues to draw interest as a free agent. The Texans brought the veteran offensive lineman in for a visit Monday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

The Texans also summoned former Vikings defensive line starter Jaleel Johnson for a meeting. Under new GM Nick Caserio, Houston has made several modest investments in starters or depth pieces this offseason. These two would qualify as such, though the Texans may be merely monitoring Taylor’s rehab progress.

Taylor, 31, missed 29 games over the past two seasons. Biceps and knee maladies altered the former Packers guard’s NFL path; he is currently recovering from an ACL tear. However, Taylor’s latest injury occurred in nearly seven months ago. That would give the eight-year vet a reasonable chance to be ready for a training camp. The 49ers, who hosted Taylor in March, and Texans are looking into his status late in the rehab process.

The Packers gave Taylor an extension and used him as a full-time starter from 2016-18. He missed just two games during that stretch. Green Bay penciled in Taylor as a Week 1 starter in 2019 and ’20 as well. However, the two major injuries will limit the former UDFA’s value on this year’s market.

A 2017 fourth-round pick, Johnson started 16 games for the Vikings last season. The defensive tackle also recorded 3.5 sacks as a rotational player during the 2019 slate. The Vikings moved on from Linval Joseph and saw Michael Pierce opt out last year, opening a door for Johnson to start. Pro Football Focus did not view Johnson’s starter season in a positive light, rating him as one of the worst interior defenders in 2020. Johnson and Texans Ross Blacklock and Maliek Collins each ranked in PFF’s bottom five among interior D-linemen last season. Johnson received higher marks as a backup in previous years.

Draft Pick Signings: 5/26/17

May 26th, 2017 at 4:27pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest draft pick signings from around the NFL:

  • The Raiders have announced the signings of six picks, meaning they’ve now locked up two-thirds of their nine-player draft class. Fourth-round offensive lineman David Sharpe, fifth-round linebacker Marquel Lee and four seventh-rounders – Shalom Luani (defensive back, Washington State), Jylan Ware (offensive tackle, Alabama State), Elijah Hood (running back, North Carolina) and Treyvon Hester (defensive tackle, Toledo) – are now under contract. The 6-foot-6, 343-pound Sharpe was the No. 1 left tackle at Florida over the two previous years, starting 26 games, though he’s likely to serve as a guard in the pros, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. Lee, meanwhile, saw action in all four of his years at Wake Forest and racked up 100 tackles in two of those seasons. All told, he amassed 41 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks (7.5 last year) with the Demon Deacons. Despite that impressive production, Zierlein regards Lee as more of a potential backup linebacker/special teamer than a starter in the NFL.
  • The Vikings have signed two fourth-rounders – defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson (Iowa) and linebacker Ben Gedeon (Michigan) – as well as fifth-round offensive lineman Danny Isidora (Miami), writes Lindsay Young of the team’s website. Johnson became a full-time player with the Hawkeyes in 2015 and combined for 15.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks over the past two years, and could develop into a pass-rushing threat in the pros. Geodeon was quite productive with the Wolverines last season, recording 94 tackles (15 for loss) and 4.5 sacks, though Zierlein contends that he’s not fast enough to become an impact defender at the highest level. Isidora, a three-year starter at right guard as a Hurricane, earned second-team all-ACC honors in 2016. Although Isidora was a late-round pick, he has the potential to start in the NFL, per Zierlein.