Latest news with #CalebJohnson
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jacksonville Jaguars' free agent LB and special teams ace signs with NFC opponent
The Atlanta Falcons announced on Monday that they had signed former Jacksonville Jaguars' linebacker and core special teams contributor Caleb Johnson. Johnson was one of 20 tryout players in attendance at Falcons' rookie minicamp. Advertisement Johnson went undrafted in 2021 out of Houston Christian and originally signed with the Chicago Bears, where he spent time, before playing with the Jaguars over the last three seasons. Defensively, Johnson saw just two snaps during his tenure in Jacksonville. However, on special teams, he was a key contributor to what has become one of the better units in the NFL. Johnson played at least 275 special teams snaps all three years with the Jaguars, including a career-high 363 snaps this past season. Johnson would regularly contribute to five of the six special teams phases, and compared to the rest of the NFL, he ranked 15th in PFF's special teams grade. Under new GM James Gladstone, the Jaguars' roster has quickly been reshaped. This not only includes making 11 outside free agent signings, nine draft picks, and 22 UDFA additions, but the only in-house free agent that Gladstone has brought back is Cole Van Lanen. This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Atlanta Falcons sign former Jacksonville Jaguars LB Caleb Johnson
Associated Press
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Falcons sign former Jaguars linebacker Caleb Johnson following tryout at rookie minicamp
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons signed linebacker Caleb Johnson on Monday. Johnson, who played the last three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, signed after participating in the team's rookie minicamp as a tryout player. Johnson signed with Chicago after the 2021 NFL draft and played one season with the Bears before his stint with Jacksonville. He played primarily on special teams in his 65 games over four seasons. The Falcons released wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kaleb Johnson is a massive fantasy winner landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Kaleb Johnson is a massive fantasy winner landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers | NFL Draft Live Yahoo Sports' 'Draft Live' crew reacts to the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the draft. View more Video Transcript Not gonna be your door. Caleb Johnson, running back Iowa, is the pick. Advertisement Yes, we, we talked about this. uh, Andy Barrens and I did a, uh, prospect wish casting episode, uh, right when I landed here on Tuesday. We both had Caleb Johnson. He's an Iowa fan, so we've seen a lot of, uh, he's seen a lot of Caleb Johnson. We both had him going to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's just, it's so obvious. Charles, when we broke him down, you compared him to Arian Foster, Caleb Johnson, who was just a menace in an outside zone scheme. The Pittsburgh Steelers under Arthur. Smith were 2nd in percentage of zone runs last year behind only your Atlanta Falcons who just, that's all they did was so perfect system fit for him, uh, from a fantasy perspective, he is a huge winner here because that depth chart is wide open. Advertisement Like, um, you know, uh, they've, they've got obviously Naji Harris has moved on. Jaylen Warren is a good player, but he's not a, a feature back. I think Caleb Johnson, like, get ready to learn 18 touches a game here, buddy. Because he's gonna get a lot of work in this offense. My comparison for him is, uh, honey I shrunk Derrick Henry. Well, Arthur, Arthur Smith. So he goes, Arthur Smith. I'm like, OK, there it is, same running style, little upright, great on zone because he gets north. That's where the Aaron Foster comparison comes from. Good size, better pass protector now than Derrick Henry has ever been. Advertisement I'm going on record and saying that has some hands too, yeah, well, I mean, no wonder Arthur Smith loves them. They're gonna run so much zone. got the the scat back with him or the kind of the other alternate back with him and Warren. That is so funny, yeah, but Johnson this rocks, uh, this rocks, they need a back. They had like 40, 14 running backs for top 30 visits. I'm actually really glad Johnson was my running back 3, but again part of this tier where I could see all these guys going on day two. This I love this. The football 301 running back episode was absolutely stellar and just such an eye opening reminder of how different systems matter so much like Carmen, you, you flippantly mentioned. Advertisement You know, the zone running scheme, and I just, I think for a lot of fans that are listening, it's just a reminder that not every running back, no matter their production is meant to run behind every offensive line and every call like it's so wildly different what's expected from running backs. So a really good fit there. Jacob Parish, corner out of Kansas State is the pick for the Tampa Bay Buckets.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kaleb Johnson will be the best rookie RB after Ashton Jeanty
Kaleb Johnson will be the best rookie RB after Ashton Jeanty | Yahoo Fantasy Forecast Yahoo Sports fantasy analysts Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens discuss how Kaleb Johnson has the potential to be one of the best rookie running backs next season. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Ok, it's possible that I cannot credibly tout a University of Iowa prospect. Advertisement People know that I am, I am biased in this regard, but my goodness, um, did Caleb Johnson ever land in the right spot. You and I both had Caleb Johnson going to the. Pittsburgh Steelers in our wish casting episode, just a perfect fit of of what a what a player is already accomplished in doing at the collegiate level with what with what a coordinator wants to do, right? You give you give those zone carries that went to Naja Harris last year to Caleb Johnson. It's, I don't know, that's. It's not exactly flattering the comp a guy to Naja Harris, but in in this particular case, um, when when you're directly replacing Nai Harris, um, man, I think he can do everything that Naje did, uh, and I think that Caleb Johnson finishes. Advertisement Outside of Ashton Genty as the next highest scoring fantasy running back, uh, from this rookie class in 2025, like 10 touchdowns and 1000 yards are absolutely on the table. We keep Jaylen Warren in that supporting role, in that secondary role where he is very well suited. Uh, it's fine with me if people are screaming all year that we need to see more Jaylen Warren. That's been the story of his career at this point as a As a fantasy asset, right? We're probably going to get it again. I, I just think Caleb's fit in this Pittsburgh offense is too perfect. It's where he needed to go. Like Caleb couldn't go just anywhere and be an immediate success, right? Advertisement He needs, he needs stylistically, he needs scheme wise, he needs it to look a little bit like it did in Iowa. And now you're, now you're on a team that's going to have other options, right? Like the The thing with Iowa's offense is you literally only worried about this one guy. You worried about #2 in the backfield and nothing else. Um, all of a sudden we've got George Pickens over there. We got DK Metcalf over there. Maybe we get Aaron Rodgers a quarterback. There's a, there's a lot to stress the defense. Caleb's going to eat. Um, this is going to be a great season. I'm not promising you more than, I don't know, 25 receptions, something like that, but man, as just an early down carve you up guy, uh, Caleb's gonna be great. Advertisement OK, I'm cracking up number one at the, if you're watching on YouTube, you could see the Pittsburgh Steelers potential offensive depth chart we've got them up here and I just, I, Aaron Rodgers at QB with the parentheses potentially. Very fun. So, uh, if you're listening to the podcast, sorry, you can't see that, but, you know, watch it on YouTube. Give us a view over there as well. We, we would love you for it. Um, but yeah, I look, peel back the curtain here, um, you know, we, this is not a secret list pod because everything's produced now. Uh, so fun is dead and production is up, uh, here on the fantasy forecast. Advertisement So this was not a secret list pod. We had to have the names in the outline and anytime there's a name like Andy loves the secret list, the only thing he loves more than that is being the first dude in the outline, uh, so he beat me, uh, to, to this because Caleb Johnson was gonna be my number one winner in that section, of course, like. All right, well, of course, and he's got the damn Iowa running back on his stand on the table segment. I'm with you, bro. I think he is a, I think he's the, I, I can easily make the case he's the running back too after Ashton Genty. It's a great system fit. Look, for all that Rogers is, I think he will get them to be like a non oh God, I mean, famous last words here, non-joke of an offense. Advertisement This year. So if he's just like the Aaron Rodgers we saw at times last year, this can be a functional unit in which Caleb Johnson just is touching the ball 15 to 18 times a game. He scores 8 to 9 touchdowns this year. You know, considering that Trayvon Henderson's a committee back, Quinon Judkins, he's playing for the damn Browns. Uh, I can easily make a case. Yeah, Caleb Johnson is the, uh, running back too here. So I'm with you.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Could Kaleb Johnson be this draft class' Todd Gurley?
Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice and PFF's lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema discuss the strengths and weaknesses of former Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson and give some potential team fits. Hear the full conversation on 'Football 301' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Caleb Johnson is like science guy meme hands up, like, I don't know what to do with you here, um, because this breakdown Cale Johnson because he's he's a unique watch. Yeah. So there are plays of Caleb Johnson and and a handful of plays. I'm not just talking about a couple where I go. That's Todd Gurley. Like, that's like, that's, that's today's version of Todd Gurley, like who he is as a runner. Um, I love him in outside zone. I love when you can get him towards the sideline and he could just put his foot in the ground and just take off up the field. I think for being 6'1, 225 pounds, the long speed that he has, the top speed when he gets up to it, ton of speed to power that he converts there with his momentum, can really get up the field and hit those home runs for you. I thought where there were good plays, he was inconsistent when it came to those 3rd down abilities. So like, pass catching and pass protecting. Not that he can't do it. Obviously, he's built like somebody who I felt as though could be a nice 3rd down player, but I didn't think that he was consistent in either of those areas. And then there were times when I just didn't love his vision between the tackles in those man and gap scheme run blocking concepts. So if you tell me that like, If you put Caleb Johnson. With the Minnesota Vikings, the San Francisco 49ers, like teams like that, where, where you were just able to get to the outside and run outside zone a lot, like, I mean, like he would be a 1000 yard back for you, even as a rookie. But I don't think One thing that we're doing at PFF this year, which I'm super excited about is we're getting into more like team-centric big boards. So we're gonna release team like top 100s, like for every team, like given what they need, given their styles, like all these kinds of stuff. And Caleb Johnson to me is gonna be one that's gonna have a ton of different range, cause for some teams, I might go, I don't love him behind that blocking concept that they're trying to run. And in other concepts, I might go, this dude's gonna be a 1000 yard runner if they draft him as a rookie. So, To me, there were just too many areas of his game where I felt like it was inconsistent, specifically in the 3rd down, like, pass. Uh, what do I say, like, like past game pluses. I just felt as though he was a little bit lack in that regard, but like as a runner, like I said, there are times when I watch him and I go, this is Todd Gurley again. So there's just, it's, I, I'm very indifferent about where I'm gonna end up on Caleb Johnson. Yeah, he, I have him and Judkins right next to each other, um, that's kind of like running back 34, and I'm totally with you is that. He grew on me. He was a guy that I actually was lower on the most, and then he kind of grew on me and I feel like I'm gonna stay right here in this range where I have the overall like mid-40s kind of overall my big board somewhere around there. Um, there's some Aarian Foster there, and I think maybe it's just some zone, zone zone, but they're the same size, they kind of have the same speed. That's the guy that I keep watching, that's the upside that you're hoping for. But again, where A Foster go on the draft rafted. And that, that, you know, do you take that skill set on day two? Like, you know, and again, that's kind of going with the result of Aaron Foster was, but again, just saying some of the limitations. He's a classic early down only back. I like this guy to take the majority share of touches, but then you need somebody else on your team to balance them out, to help him out, to do some of the dirty work stuff to be the classic scap back protection back. If I could get. Shoot, if I can get Johnson and Traveon Henderson on the same team, we're gold. Let's get these two like we're awesome. Close
