Tag: Isaiah Johnson

Cowboys waive FB Nick Ralston to make room for reinstated La’el Collins on 53-man roster

The rookie fullback had just been added to the active roster Saturday; he may end up back on the Cowboys practice squad. | From @ToddBrock24f7

La’el Collins was reinstated by the league Monday after serving a five-game suspension. But in order to add him back to the Cowboys’ 53-man roster, a spot would have to be cleared.

On Tuesday, it was announced that fullback Nick Ralston has been waived in order to accommodate Collins’s return.

Collins was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy in a ruling that came down after the Week 1 loss in Tampa. Collins fought the suspension, but his appeal was denied. During the court battle, allegations came to light that the offensive tackle had missed mandatory tests and attempted to bribe a vendor hired by the league to collect urine samples.

He’ll be available to play in the team’s next game, October 31 in Minnesota, but Terence Steele has played well in his absence.

Ralston, an undrafted free agent in his rookie season, was just signed to the active roster on what was said to be a two-year contract the day before the Cowboys’ meeting with the Patriots, after multiple weeks of being elevated from the practice squad for gameday.

Cornerback Isaiah Johnson was let go from the practice squad on Tuesday, meaning Ralston could take his spot there if he clears waivers. It would mark quite a 5-day rollercoaster ride for the 24-year-old Texas native.

[listicle id=683750]

[listicle id=683629]

[listicle id=683671]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Former Raiders fourth-round pick CB Isaiah Johnson lands on Texans practice squad

Former Raiders fourth-round pick CB Isaiah Johnson lands on Texans practice squad

Who says you can’t go home? That’s what Isaiah Johnson did today. A few hours after the Raiders cut the former fourth-round pick, he has signed with the Houston Texans, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Johnson is a University of Houston alum who was born in nearby Bryan Texas.

Perhaps Johnson’s fortunes will turn around with a return to familiar territory. The 6-2, 210-pound cornerback struggled to get on the field with the Raiders. Much of that was injuries.

As a rookie in 2019, he saw action in just five games. Though he appeared in 14 games last season, he never started a game. Then this training camp he was injured nearly the entire time and ultimately fell behind and was the odd man out.

The highlight of Johnson’s career came in Los Angeles last season when he defended two consecutive passes from Justin Herbert in the right side of the end zone to preserve the Raiders victory. Those plays showed the type of player the Raiders hoped they were getting when they selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. They just were unable to see enough of it to warrant a roster spot for a third year.

[vertical-gallery id=82998]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Raiders got three defenders back on Tuesday, all will see action in preseason

Raiders got three defenders back on Tuesday, all will see action in preseason

Tuesday was full of good news for the Raiders in terms of players returning. Not only did Darren Waller and Marcus Mariota take the field, but they got three defenders who could all make the team and play key roles this season.

“We got a lot of guys returning,” said head coach Jon Gruden. “Karl Joseph showed up, Isaiah Johnson showed up. [Divine] Deablo got some reps today. So, we got a lot of guys that are on the fringe of coming back.”

Deablo and Johnson have spent all of camp on the PUP list. Both passed their physicals late last week and took the field for the first time today. They may not see the field in the team’s second preseason game in Los Angeles, but Gruden is targeting the final preseason game in San Francisco for them to prove themselves.

“We’re really encouraged with Divine,” Gruden said of his third-round rookie. “He had an injury that we feared was worse than it was. And I give him a lot of credit, while we were all on vacation having a good time, he was here two-a-days, rehabbing, and he’s ready to go. We are going to protect him here for the next four or five days as he gets acclimated to pads, but there is a good chance you may see him against the 49ers.

“And Isaiah, the same thing, we’re going to kind of put the boat in the water these next few days and hopefully get him on the grass against San Francisco in that last preseason game.”

Johnson has an uphill battle on his hands to find a place on the depth chart at cornerback. Even with Nevin Lawson starting the season suspended, it’s a crowded cornerback room.

Joseph has been out the past two weeks. He was brought back this offseason and is expected to provide valuable depth at safety initially, primarily strong safety. And should Johnathan Abram struggle again this season, Joseph could find himself in the starting lineup before long.

[vertical-gallery id=82058]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Raiders CB Isaiah Johnson cleared to come off PUP after passing physical

Raiders CB Isaiah Johnson cleared to come off PUP after passing physical

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby7y715wxzbczy player_id=none image=https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Today the Raiders take the field for their first preseason game. After which they have a day off before returning to practice on Monday. When they do, they could have a couple of players take the field who haven’t practiced yet this training camp.

The latest to pass his physical, clearing him to come off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list is CB Isaiah Johnson. He joins rookie LB Divine Deablo who is also on the PUP and who also passed his physical this week.

Johnson was a 2019 fourth round pick out of Houston. The 6-2, 210-pounder has appeared in 19 career games with no starts.

His most memorable moment came against the Chargers in LA last season when on the final two plays of the game, he defended passes that might have otherwise been touchdowns.

Those two pass breakups were twice as many as he had had coming into the game and as many as he had the rest of last season. Injuries have been a bit of an issue for Johnson and last season he even landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list for a time. He has some ground to make up at cornerback if he’s going to find a spot on this roster again.

The NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 9

Every week, there are players whose performances don’t get the praise they deserve. Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 9.

Every NFL season features a certain number of players who come out of nowhere to surprise and entertain at a level we did not expect. Perhaps they’re veterans for whom everything finally clicks. Perhaps they’re rookies who show that the NFL curve can be navigated at a quicker pace by some more than others.

Whatever the circumstances, there were several players who either expanded their 2019 performances, or came into the NFL as first-year players in 2020 and showed that they didn’t need a preseason to ball out at a professional level.

Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 9.

Watch: Raiders’ Isaiah Johnson dedicates game-saving play to friend who was killed

Isaiah Johnson had a heavy heart when he played for the Raiders Sunday.

The Las Vegas Raiders managed to get by the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday with the help of an official review and a great play by DB Isaiah Johnson, who separated the football from Donald Parnham Jr.

It took a few minutes before officials overturned the original call of touchdown and the play meant a great deal to Johnson, more than simply a victory.

“I found out that one of my close, close teammates [Ka’Darian Smith] that was like a little brother to me had passed away in Houston,” Johnson told reporters postgame. “I played cornerback with him at U of H. He had lost his life in Houston this past Wednesday and I didn’t tell a whole bunch of people about it because I knew we still had to prepare and win the game, and I didn’t want to be a distraction.”

A man found shot to death at a high-rise apartment in Midtown Houston has been identified as a former member of the UH Cougars and Spring High School football teams.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified the victim from a deadly shooting early Wednesday as 22-year-old Ka’Darian Smith.

Smith played for the Cougars from 2016-19. A graduate of Spring High School, Smith was part of the Cougars’ H-Town Takeover recruiting class of 2016.

 

Four-star CB Isaiah Johnson makes commitment

Georgia Bulldogs recruiting target Isaiah Johnson has committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The University of Georgia offered a scholarship to defensive back Isaiah Johnson back in September. Johnson is a lengthy defender (6-foot-2), who would excel in Dan Lanning’s defensive scheme in Athens.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Johnson has committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Johnson is a four-star recruit who is rated as a five-star on some sites.  He is a member of the class of 2021. Johnson played football at Bluefield High School in West Virginia, but recently transferred to St. Bernard High School in Playa Del Rey, California.

Johnson put the Georgia Bulldogs, Arizona State Sun Devils, USC Trojans, LSU Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners in his top five. Now, he’s headed to Tempe.

Johnson missed his junior season of high school with an ankle injury, but could be in for a big season in 2020 (if high school football is played). In fact, California high school football has already been pushed into the spring of 2021.

The Bulldogs recruiting class currently features 11 commitments. UGA has a five star and eight four stars in the talented class. Georgia’s latest commitment is Jared Wilson, who has had an odyssey of a recruiting journey.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

LSU makes top five for standout cornerback target

LSU currently has the No. 5 class in the 247Sports rankings for the 2021 class.

It’s been a busy few months for the LSU Tigers on the recruiting trail.

The defending national champions have picked up several commitments from the 2021 and 2022 class recently, and now even more could be on the way.

Four-star cornerback Isaiah Johnson from St Bernard High in Playa Del Ray, Calif., recently trimmed his list to five schools and LSU made the list.

[lawrence-related id=9350]

Johnson recently moved to California after spending his first three years of high school at Bluefield High in Bluefield, W.V. He was injured in just the second game of his junior season and missed the rest of the year.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Johnson’s top five includes Georgia, Oklahoma, Arizona State and USC, joining LSU.

He recently spoke to Brian Dohn of 247Sports and discussed each of his top schools and spoke his relationship with cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond and head coach Ed Orgeron.

Me and coach Raymond and Coach O, we have a really good relationship. I talk to those guys nearly every day. I feel like I would have a good chance to play if I work hard enough, which I will. It’s DBU. You can’t go wrong with LSU. They put guys in the league left and right.

Johnson has not specified when he will announce his commitment.

LSU currently has the No. 5 class in the 247Sports rankings for the 2021 class.

[vertical-gallery id=9202]

Oklahoma makes four-star CB’s list of final five schools

The Sooners made four-star cornerback Isaiah Johnson’s list of final five schools

Oklahoma is making defense a priority in the 2021 recruiting class.

The Sooners have made four-star cornerback Isaiah Johnson’s list of final five schools.

Ranked the No. 1 CB in the state of California per Rivals, Johnson stands at 6-foot-1, 174-pounds. The St. Bernard product has 25 offers, including Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon and Ohio State.

On Thursday, Johnson narrowed down his list of schools to just Oklahoma, Arizona State, Georgia, LSU and Southern California.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has already won several battles on the recruiting trail, and stealing Johnson away from the west coast would be just that.

Oklahoma currently holds the No. 16 overall class in 2021, per Rivals.

The Sooners currently have two defensive backs committed in the 2021 class in in-state product Jordan Mukes and sixth-ranked CB in the country Latrell McCutchin.

The Sooners are currently set to begin their season on September 5 versus Missouri State. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have opted for conference only schedules for the 2020 season, but no such decision has been made by the Big 12 conference yet.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Georgia football in top schools for elite DB

Cornerback Isaiah Johnson is a four-star recruit he’s put the Georgia Bulldogs, USC Trojans, Oklahoma Sooners, and more in his top schools.

The University of Georgia offered a scholarship to defensive back Isaiah Johnson back in September. Johnson is a lengthy defender (six-foot-two), who would excel in Dan Lanning’s defensive scheme in Athens.

Cornerback Isaiah Johnson is a four-star recruit and is rated as a five-star on some sites.  He is a member of the class of 2021. Johnson played football at Bluefield High School in West Virginia, but has recently transferred to St. Bernard High School in Playa Del Rey, California.

Johnson released his top schools via Twitter. He puts the Georgia Bulldogs, Arizona State Sun Devils, USC Trojans, LSU Tigers, and Oklahoma Sooners in his top five. We’ll track the latest developments throughout his recruitment.

Johnson missed his junior season of high school with an ankle injury, but could be in for a big season in 2020 (if high school football is played). In fact, California high school football has already been pushed into the spring of 2021.

The Bulldogs recruiting class currently features ten commitments. UGA has a five-star and eight four-stars in the talented class. Georgia’s latest commitment is CJ Washington, an in-state prospect that’s a member of the class of 2022.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]