Ravens Bring Baltimore Product Jamon Johnson Home, Add Linebacker Depth During Training Camp
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The social-media post is legitimate. The Baltimore Ravens officially announced Saturday that they have signed inside linebacker Jamon Johnson, bringing the former St. Frances Academy standout back to Baltimore as the team adds depth to its linebacker room during training camp.
Johnson, formerly known as Jamon Dumas-Johnson, joined the Ravens for Saturday’s practice and immediately began working with the defense. Baltimore listed him as wearing No. 47 during his first practice with the team.
The signing gives the Ravens another young linebacker with NFL experience, championship pedigree and strong Maryland ties.
Johnson Comes Home to Baltimore
Johnson’s path to the Ravens makes the signing particularly interesting for Maryland football fans.
The 24-year-old is a Hyattsville, Maryland native who attended powerhouse St. Frances Academy in Baltimore before beginning his college career at Georgia.
He eventually developed into one of the better linebackers in the Southeastern Conference.
Johnson spent three seasons at Georgia from 2021 through 2023 and was part of the Bulldogs teams that captured consecutive national championships in 2021 and 2022. He later transferred to Kentucky for his final collegiate season.
Across his college career, Johnson appeared in 49 games with 34 starts and accumulated 192 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, six pass breakups, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
Those numbers show Baltimore is not merely adding an unknown camp body.
Johnson was a productive player at two major SEC programs.
Championship Pedigree at Georgia
Johnson’s best college season came during Georgia’s dominant 2022 national championship campaign.
He developed into a centerpiece of one of the country’s best defenses and became a finalist for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. He also earned first-team All-America recognition from multiple outlets.
His 2023 season was shortened by injury, but he still produced 34 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in nine starts.
Rather than enter the NFL Draft after that season, Johnson transferred to Kentucky for one final opportunity to strengthen his professional résumé.
He started all 11 games he played for the Wildcats in 2024 and finished his collegiate career with nearly 200 tackles.
The combination of SEC experience, physicality and championship-level coaching should help Johnson adjust quickly to Baltimore’s defensive system.
Johnson Already Has NFL Experience
Johnson went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Green Bay Packers signed him as an undrafted free agent.
The Packers ultimately released him during final roster cuts before bringing him back to the practice squad. Johnson eventually earned opportunities on the active roster during the regular season.
He appeared in two games for Green Bay in 2025, including one start, recording 10 tackles and a pass breakup. He played 67 defensive snaps and 25 special-teams snaps.
That experience could prove valuable as Johnson competes for a place on Baltimore’s final 53-man roster.
Green Bay signed Johnson to a reserve/futures contract following the season but released him in April, making him available to other teams.
Baltimore worked Johnson out earlier this week before deciding to sign him.
Why the Ravens Needed Another Linebacker
The timing of the signing is important.
Baltimore is dealing with uncertainty in its inside linebacker room during training camp, creating additional opportunities behind the established starters.
The Ravens have Roquan Smith, while younger linebackers including Trenton Simpson, Carl Jones and Jay Higgins IV are competing for roles around him. Teddye Buchanan is also recovering from a torn ACL, increasing the need for additional depth.
Johnson gives Baltimore another physical linebacker capable of contributing against the run while also bringing special-teams experience.
The latter may ultimately determine whether he makes the roster.
Backup linebackers generally need to provide value beyond defense, and Johnson already played meaningful special-teams snaps during his brief time with Green Bay.
Baltimore has historically placed considerable value on linebackers who can cover kicks and punts while providing defensive depth.
Johnson fits that profile.
A Strong Run Defender
At 6-foot-1 and approximately 236 pounds, Johnson plays with the compact build typically associated with downhill inside linebackers.
His college production supports that reputation.
Twenty-four tackles for loss and 13 sacks in 49 games demonstrate that Johnson was comfortable attacking the line of scrimmage rather than simply making tackles several yards downfield.
His strengths have traditionally been his instincts, physicality and ability to play downhill.
That style should make him an intriguing fit in Baltimore.
The Ravens have traditionally emphasized physical front-seven play, and Johnson arrives with experience in high-level defensive systems at both Georgia and Kentucky.
There are still areas of his game that will determine how much he can contribute. Coverage ability and lateral speed were among the questions surrounding Johnson entering the 2025 NFL Draft, and those limitations contributed to him going undrafted despite his college résumé.
That makes special teams even more important.
Ravens Make Corresponding Roster Move
Baltimore also waived running back Matthew McDoom as the corresponding roster move to make room for Johnson.
Roster movement is common throughout August as teams evaluate players and attempt to address injuries or positional needs.
The Ravens have already made several depth-related additions during camp, including recently signing veteran offensive tackle Kendall Lamm following Hakeem Adeniji’s retirement.
Johnson now becomes the latest player receiving an opportunity during the final weeks before roster cuts.
Immediate Opportunity
Johnson did not have to wait long to get started.
He participated in Baltimore’s Saturday practice after officially signing and wore No. 47.
That gives Johnson several weeks to make an impression before Baltimore has to trim its roster.
His familiarity with high-level defensive concepts should help, but joining an NFL defense midway through training camp remains difficult.
Johnson must quickly learn terminology, assignments and responsibilities while simultaneously competing against players who have spent the entire offseason in the system.
Preseason games could become particularly important.
Every defensive snap and every special-teams opportunity will give the coaching staff additional information when deciding which linebackers deserve roster spots.
From St. Frances to the Ravens
For Maryland Sports Blog, the local connection is difficult to overlook.
Johnson played high school football only a few miles from M&T Bank Stadium at St. Frances Academy, one of Maryland’s premier football programs.
He then went on to play at Georgia, win two national championships, earn national recognition and eventually reach the NFL.
Now his career has brought him back to Baltimore.
There are no guarantees that Johnson will make the Ravens’ final roster. August signings face difficult odds because they have less time to learn the system and often need to distinguish themselves quickly on special teams.
But Johnson has more experience and a stronger résumé than the typical late-camp addition.
He has started SEC games.
He has played in national championship games.
He has started an NFL game.
And now he gets an opportunity with his hometown team.
MSB Take
This is exactly the type of training camp signing that makes sense for Baltimore.
The Ravens did not need to make a blockbuster move at linebacker. They needed another capable player who could compete for snaps, provide insurance and potentially help on special teams.
Johnson checks those boxes.
His Maryland background makes the story even better.
A player who developed at St. Frances Academy, won championships at Georgia and fought his way into the NFL as an undrafted free agent is now getting an opportunity with the Ravens.
Johnson still has plenty of work ahead of him.
Baltimore’s roster is competitive, and his ability to contribute on special teams will probably be just as important as anything he does at linebacker.
But this is not simply a ceremonial hometown signing.
Johnson has legitimate NFL experience and recorded 10 tackles during limited action with Green Bay last season.
He has an opportunity to earn a role.
For Johnson, the next several weeks could determine whether his football journey comes full circle — from playing high school football in Baltimore to running out of the tunnel at M&T Bank Stadium wearing Ravens purple.
And yes, the signing shown in the post you sent is confirmed by the Baltimore Ravens.
