Matt Johnson (safety)

Matt Johnson
No. 37
Position: Safety
Personal information
Born: (1989-07-22) July 22, 1989
Olympia, Washington
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school: Tumwater (WA)
College: Eastern Washington
NFL Draft: 2012 / Round: 4 / Pick: 135
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Matt Johnson (born July 22, 1989) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Eastern Washington University.

Early years

Johnson attended Tumwater High School, where he practiced football, basketball and baseball. He received All-league honors three years in a row in football.

As a senior, he collected 53 tackles, 2 interceptions and one fumble recovery while helping his team reach the Class 2A state semifinals. He was named second-team 2A All-Evergreen League, after missing five games because of a high ankle sprain. He also helped his school reach the 2A District IV basketball tournament and win the District IV baseball championship.

College career

Johnson accepted a football scholarship from Eastern Washington University. As a redshirt freshman, he posted 11 starts, 83 tackles (second on the team), 5 tackles for loss and 4 interceptions. He made 10 tackles against Texas Tech University. He had 2 interceptions against Western Washington University. He made 12 tackles against the University of Northern Colorado.

As a sophomore, he tallied 101 tackles and 6 interceptions (led the conference). He had 16 tackles against Weber State University. He had 4 iterceptions against Portland State University, tying a single-game conference record. He had 14 tackles against the University of Montana and Montana State University.

As a junior, he helped the team win the NCAA Division I FCS National Championship, while registering 105 tackles (third on the team), 5 interceptions, 8 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He also contributed to the defense being ranked number one nationally with 26 interceptions and 47 turnovers forced. He had 2 interceptions against the University of Montana. He was named a team co-captain along with his twin brother Zach.

As a senior, he missed the final four games with an injured shoulder, recording 52 tackles (fourth on the team), 8 tackles for loss (led the team), 2 interceptions, 1.5 sacks, one quarterback hurry, 2 forced fumbles and earned All-Big Sky conference honors for the second straight season. He had 4 tackles (2 for loss) and one sack against the University of Washington. He injured his shoulder against the University of South Dakota, but still managed to intercept one pass and then had back-to-back 9 tackle games against the University of Montana and Montana State University, while fighting through the injury.

He finished with 45 starts, 341 tackles (fifth in school history and eighth in the Big Sky Conference), 22 tackles for loss, 30 passes defensed, 17 interceptions (tied for first in school history) and 6 forced fumbles (first in school history).

Professional career

Pro Day

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad BP
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		 212 lb
(96 kg)		 4.52 s 4.07 s 7.01 s 38 in
(0.97 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 18 reps
All values from Eastern Washington pro day

Dallas Cowboys

Johnson was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (135th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft }, which at the time was seen as a reach by the media.[1] As a rookie, he was ineligible to participate in organized team activities until Eastern Washington's classes ended. After experiencing recurring hamstring issues during preseason, the team still kept him in the active roster, but after not being able to recover and play in any game during the regular season, he was placed on the injured reserve list on November Nov 17, 2012.[2]

Coming into 2013, there were high expectations that he could earn the starting free safety position, but he was placed on the injured reserve list on Aug 31, 2013, with a sprained left foot that he suffered in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.[3]

After battling hamstring issues during the previous years, on July 29, 2014, he suffered a hamstring injury in training camp that kept him out of the preseason. On August 27, he was waived injured and was placed on the injured reserve list, before being released with an injury settlement on September 3.[4]

The Cowboys were very patient with Johnson because they believed in his talent, but he couldn't stay healthy, playing in only two preseason games in two seasons. He announced his retirement on February 27, 2015.

Personal life

Johnson played along his twin brother Zach Johnson in high school and college.

References

  1. ↑ Archer, Todd (April 28, 2012). "Matt Johnson caps Cowboys' fourth round". ESPN. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Matt Johnson headed to injured reserve". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Matt Johnson hopes he can prove his worth". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Dallas Cowboys cut-down analysis". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
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