Wesley Johnson (American football)

Wesley Vadnais Johnson (born January 9, 1991) is a former American football center. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Vanderbilt.

Wesley Johnson
refer to caption
Johnson with the Jets in 2017.
No. 76, 73
Position:Center
Personal information
Born: (1991-01-09) January 9, 1991
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:295 lb (134 kg)
Career information
High school:Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell
College:Vanderbilt
NFL Draft:2014 / Round: 5 / Pick: 173
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Games played:51
Games started:24
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Professional career

Johnson was one of 50 collegiate offensive linemen to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He impressed scouts after completing all of the combine drills and finishing 11th out of all offensive tackles in the 40-yard dash. Johnson also tied for fifth among his position group in the vertical jump and finished 15th in the bench press.[1] On March 21, 2014, Johnson chose to participate at Vanderbilt's pro day, along with Jonathan Krause, Jordan Matthews, Kenny Ladler, Andre Hal, and nine others. He opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills for team representatives and scouts, that included head coaches Chip Kelly (Eagles) and Ken Whisenhunt (Titans).[2]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 5 in
(1.96 m)		 297 lb
(135 kg)		 33+1⁄8 in
(0.84 m)		 10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		5.11 s1.73 s2.96 s4.64 s7.40 s29 in
(0.74 m)		9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)		26 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3]

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Johnson in fifth round (173rd overall) in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the seventh center selected 2014.[4]

2014

On May 27, 2014, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Johnson to a four-year, $2.36 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $144,560.[5][6]

Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot against David Snow, Bryant Browning, Chris Hubbard, Will Simmons, and Chris Elkins.[7] Head coach Mike Tomlin named him the third-string left tackle and left guard behind Kelvin Beachum, Ramon Foster, Mike Adams and Chris Hubbard to start the regular season. His versatility and experience playing all offensive line positions in college helped him earn the roster spot, as he also served as the third string center behind Maurkice Pouncey and Cody Wallace.[8] On October 12, 2014, Johnson was waived by the Steelers.[9]

New York Jets

Johnson was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets on October 13, 2014.[10] Upon arrival, head coach Rex Ryan named Johnson the backup center behind Nick Mangold.[11] Throughout his rookie season, Johnson did not appear in any games.

2015

He competed with Dakota Dozier and Dalton Freeman for the backup center job throughout training camp.[12] On September 5, 2015, Johnson was waived by the New York Jets and re-signed to the practice squad. New head coach Todd Bowles named guard Dakota Dozier the backup center to Nick Mangold. On October 28, 2015, the New York Jets signed him to the active roster after it was apparent starting center Nick Mangold would miss the next game after suffering a neck injury.[6]

On November 1, 2015, Johnson earned his first career start and made his official regular season debut in the New York Jets loss at the Oakland Raiders.[13] He finished the 2015 season appearing in ten games and one start.[14]

2016

Johnson competed with Kyle Friend for the backup center role throughout training camp.[15] He maintained the role and was named the backup center to Mangold to start the 2016 season.

In Week 8, Johnson made his first start of the season during a 31-28 victory at the Cleveland Browns. He remained the starting center for the last eight games of the season after Nick Mangold was unable to play due to a recurring ankle injury. Mangold suffered an ankle injury in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.[16]

2017

Johnson was slated to be the starting center after the New York Jets released Nick Mangold on February 25, 2017, after having a successful run while replacing him while he was injured during the 2016 season.

On March 9, 2017, the Jets placed a second-round tender on Johnson and signed him to a one-year, $2.74 million contract.[17]

Head coach Todd Bowles named Johnson the starting center ahead of Jonotthan Harrison.[18] He started the New York Jets' season-opening 21-12 loss at the Buffalo Bills.

Detroit Lions

On March 29, 2018, Johnson signed with the Detroit Lions.[19] He was released on September 1, 2018.[20]

Miami Dolphins

On October 2, 2018, Johnson signed with the Miami Dolphins following an injury to Daniel Kilgore.[21]

San Francisco 49er

On May 7, 2019, Johnson a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.[22] He was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.[23]

References
  1. Louis Bien (February 20, 2014). "NFL Combine 2014: Weigh-in results for offensive linemen". SBNation.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  2. Jeff Lockridge (March 21, 2014). "Vanderbilt Pro Day opens some NFL eyes". Tennessean.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  3. "NFL Draft Profile: Wesley Johnson". NFL.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  4. "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  5. Dave Bryan (May 12, 2014). "Steelers 2014 Draft: Rookie Contract Estimates". SteelersDepot.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  6. "Spotrac.com: Wesley Johnson contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  7. "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steelers' depth chart: 07/01/2014". ourlads.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  8. "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steelers' depth chart: 10/01/2014". Ourlads.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  9. Neal Coolong (October 14, 2014). "Steelers release of Wesley Johnson not an indictment of the organization". behindthesteelcurtain.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  10. Lange, Randy (October 13, 2014). "Brian Winters Joins Dee Milliner on IR". New York Jets. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  11. Matthew Marczi (August 29, 2015). "Film Room: Former Steelers OL Wesley Johnson". SteelersDepot.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  12. "Ourlads.com: New York Jets' depth chart: 07/01/2015". Ourlads.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  13. SI Wire (November 8, 2015). "NFL Week 9 injury roundup: Mangold, Roethlisberger hurt". SI.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  14. "NFL Player stats: Wesley Johnson (2015)". NFL.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  15. "Ourlads.com: New York Jets' depth chart: 07/01/2016". Ourlads.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  16. Tyler Conway. "Nick Mangold Injury: Updates on Jets Center's Ankle and Recovery". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  17. Lange, Randy (March 9, 2017). "Jets Give Johnson, Williams 2nd-Round Tenders". NewYorkJets.com.
  18. "Ourlads.com: New York Jets' depth chart: 10/01/2017". Ourlads.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  19. "Detroit Lions sign unrestricted free agent C Wesley Johnson". DetroitLions.com. March 29, 2018.
  20. "Lions establish 53-man roster". DetroitLions.com. September 1, 2018.
  21. "Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. October 2, 2018.
  22. "49ers Sign OL Wesley Johnson, Waive TE Marcus Lucas". 49ers.com. May 7, 2019.
  23. "49ers Release Nine Players". 49ers.com. August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
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