Agile and athletic linebacker returns for his fifth season in a Kansas City uniform … Has averaged 97.8 tackles per season over his first four NFL campaigns … Expected to serve as an inside linebacker unit as the club moves to a 3-4 defensive alignment in 2009 … Versatile performer started games at all three linebacker posts in the club’s previous 4-3 scheme … Opened the final four games of the 2008 campaign at middle linebacker after beginning the year at right outside linebacker … Started 44 contests at left outside linebacker over his first three pro seasons … Should benefit from the tutelage of linebackers coach Gary Gibbs … Former first-round draft pick continues to mature … Aggressive performer has shown a propensity for delivering plenty of big plays … Owns a pair of multi-sack games and had a pair of games with both an INT and a forced fumble a year ago … Started all 16 contests in 2007, racking up the second 100-tackle output of his career with 107 stops … Also registered the first two interceptions of his brief NFL tenure, while accumulating a team-high 16 tackles for loss … Battled an ankle injury in 2006 that kept him out of three contests, but still managed to rack up 4.5 sacks … Terrific speed and anticipation allows him to be utilized in a variety of roles and excel at both rushing the passer and dropping into coverage … Excellent play recognition has allowed him to become a major presence in opponents’ backfields, as evidenced by his team-high 16 tackles for loss in 2007 … Joined LB Derrick Thomas (D1-89) and LB Percy Snow (D1-90) as the third Butkus Award winner to play for the Chiefs … Became the first Chiefs linebacker in 20 years to start all 16 games of his rookie campaign after joining the Chiefs in 2005 … Earned the team’s prestigious Mack Lee Hill Award, an honor bestowed on Kansas City’s top rookie or first-year player … Burst onto the NFL scene in his first professional game, recording eight tackles, a sack-and-strip of QB Chad Pennington and a pass defensed vs. the N.Y. Jets (9/11/05) ... Has played in 59 games (58 starts), recording 391 tackles (310 solo) with 30 tackles for loss, three INTs (25 yards), 12.0 sacks (-83.0 yards), 26 passes defensed, 10 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 20 QB pressures … Also has nine special teams stops … Owns one postseason start, registering 12 tackles (10 solo) with two for loss.

Transactions: Signed with Kansas City (7/31/05) ... Selected by Kansas City in the first round (15th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Started 14 games … Opened 10 games at right outside linebacker and started the season’s final four games at middle linebacker … Was inactive for two contests … Ranked second on the team with 91 tackles (66 solo), including five behind the line … Also added 1.5 sacks (-12.5 yards), an INT, five passes defensed and three forced fumbles … Also had one special teams tackle … Recorded five tackles and a sack of Matt Cassel at New England (9/7) ... Contributed six tackles and a special teams stop vs. Oakland (9/14) ... Posted seven tackles, half of a sack of Jay Cutler, a pass defensed, intercepted a Cutler pass and forced a WR Brandon Marshall fumble to earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors vs. Denver (9/28), becoming the first Chiefs linebacker to win the award since 2002 … Totaled nine tackles and a pass defensed at Carolina (10/5) ... Notched seven tackles with one for loss vs. Tennessee (10/19) ... Tallied five tackles and forced a WR Laveranues Coles fumble at the N.Y. Jets (10/26) ... Recorded five tackles before leaving the game with a thigh injury vs. Tampa Bay (11/2) ... Was inactive with that injury at San Diego (11/9) and vs. New Orleans (11/16) ... Posted nine tackles, a pass defensed and forced a RB Darren McFadden fumble at Oakland (11/30) ... Amassed eight tackles and a pass defensed in his first career start at MLB at Denver (12/7) ... Tied a career high with 11 tackles (seven solo) at Cincinnati (12/28).

Started 16 games at left outside linebacker … Ranked third on the club with 107 tackles (91 solo) with a team-high 16 for loss … Joined with fellow LBs Napoleon Harris (123) and Donnie Edwards (108) to give the franchise its first trio of linebackers with triple-digit tackles since ‘78 … Contributed 4.0 sacks (-34.0 yards), two INTs, nine passes defensed, six QB pressures and three forced fumbles … Also had a special teams tackle … Tied a career high with 2.0 sacks (-18.0 yards) of Rex Grossman at Chicago (9/16). Also had seven tackles, two passes defensed and a special teams stop … Amassed 10 tackles vs. Minnesota (9/23) ... Enjoyed a monster game at San Diego (9/30), pulling off a sack and strip of Philip Rivers to set up a 50-yard TD return by CB Tyron Brackenridge. Also intercepted his first career pass off Rivers to go with three tackles and two QB pressures … Registered 10 tackles with one for loss at Oakland (10/21) ... Intercepted a Jay Cutler pass and forced a RB Selvin Young fumble vs. Denver (11/11), adding 12 tackles, including three stops for loss, as well as a QB pressure … Had a sack of Rivers, forced a FB Lorenzo Neal fumble and posted seven tackles vs. San Diego (12/2).

Played in 13 games with 12 starts at left outside linebacker and was inactive for three contests … Finished third on the team with 83 tackles (66 solo), including five behind the line and two forced fumbles … His 4.5 sacks (-22.5 yards) were third on the team … Added four QB pressures, three passes defensed and two fumble recoveries … Recorded nine tackles, a QB pressure and recovered a QB Carson Palmer fumble vs. Cincinnati (9/10) ... Collected nine tackles and 1.5 sacks of Alex Smith vs. San Francisco (10/1). Also forced a RB Frank Gore fumble … Registered nine tackles, as well as a sack and strip of Philip Rivers in addition to a QB pressure vs. San Diego (10/22) ... Produced five tackles and a career-high 2.0 sacks of Seneca Wallace vs. Seattle (10/29) ... Left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury at St. Louis (11/5) and was inactive at Miami (11/12), ending his streak of 24 consecutive starts … Returned to the lineup at Oakland (12/23), notching nine tackles and recovering a WR Johnnie Morant fumble … Amassed 12 tackles including two behind the line in an AFC Wild Card Game at Indianapolis (1/6/07).

Started all 16 games at left outside linebacker to become the first rookie linebacker in Chiefs history to start all 16 games since LB Dino Hackett accomplished the feat in ‘86 … Named the club’s Mack Lee Hill Award winner, an honor bestowed on Kansas City’s top rookie or first-year player … Ranked third on the squad with 110 tackles (87 solo), with four tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks (-14.0 yards), 10 QB pressures, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and nine passes defensed … Also recorded six special teams tackles … His 110 tackles were the fourth-highest total ever accumulated by a Chiefs rookie and were the most by a Kansas City rookie linebacker in team history since Hackett had 140 stops in ‘86 … Recorded eight stops, a sack and strip of Chad Pennington, two QB pressures and a pass defensed vs. the N.Y. Jets (9/11). Became the first Chiefs rookie linebacker to start on Opening Day since Percy Snow did it vs. Minnesota (9/9/90) ... Tallied 10 tackles and recovered a QB Kerry Collins fumble at Oakland (9/18) ... Forced a WR Charlie Adams fumble at Denver (9/26) ... Produced a career-high 11 tackles and one pass defensed vs. Philadelphia (10/2) ... Totaled 10 tackles (nine solo) and one QB pressure vs. Washington (10/16) ... Posted nine tackles, two QB pressures and one pass defensed at San Diego (10/30) ... Recorded a sack of Jake Plummer vs. Denver (12/4).

Appeared in 50 games (40 starts) at Texas, registering 458 tackles (281 solo), a school-record 65.0 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and 10 INTs for 199 yards with a TD … Also had five fumble recoveries, 11 forced fumbles, 39 QB pressures and 30 passes defensed … Was the first player in Longhorn annals to win the Butkus Award … Earned the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the top collegiate defensive player in 2004 … Opened all 12 games as a senior in 2004, finishing the year with a career-high 130 tackles (73 solo) and 2.0 sacks (-15.0 yards) ... Had an NCAA single-season record nine forced fumbles, breaking the previous mark of eight shared by Syracuse DE Dwight Freeney (2001) and Boise State S Quintin Mikell (2002) ... Also returned an INT for 18 yards and added eight passes defensed and 10 QB pressures … Was a unanimous All-America and All-Big 12 selection … Started 13 games at weakside linebacker in 2003 as a junior, leading the club with 125 tackles (78 solo) and 20.0 stops behind the line … Also had 2.0 sacks (-10.0 yards), three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, four interceptions for 92 yards with a TD, nine passes defensed and 10 QB pressures … Started all 13 games as a sophomore season in 2002 … Ranked second on the club with 120 tackles (73 solo) ... Also had 2.0 sacks (-4.0 yards), 10 passes defensed, four interceptions for 85 yards and 10 QB pressures … Was a first-team All-Big 12 selection … Played in 12 games (two starts) in 2001 as a true freshman, ranking second on the squad with 83 tackles (57 solo) and fourth with 4.5 sacks (-29.0 yards) ... Added nine QB pressures, one INT (four yards), two fumble recoveries and three passes defensed … Named The Sporting News National Freshman of the Year … Earned first-team Freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News … Chosen the Big 12 Conference Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year … Majored in Education at Texas.

• Attended Waco High School in Waco, Texas.

• Earned Parade All-America and first-team All-Texas Class 5A honors following both his junior and senior seasons.

• Registered 170 tackles (103 solo), 21.0 stops for loss, 6.0 sacks, five forced fumbles and two INTs, including one for a TD as a senior.

• Once produced a career-high 30 tackles and four forced fumbles in a single game.

• Also lettered twice in basketball and ran a time of 10.5 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

• Established the “King of the Field - The Derrick Johnson Foundation” in 2005 to help provide opportunities for youths to achieve in both academics and in the community.

• “King of the Field Foundation” has paired with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, KaBOOM! and more than 200 volunteers to construct three playgrounds in Kansas City.

• Serves as a spokesperson for Lift Up America, an organization that facilitates widespread compassion by providing gifts of food and comfort to our nation’s less fortunate.

• Was named the 2007 Role Model of the Year by the children of the Greater Kansas City Boys & Girls Clubs.

• Brother, Dwight, played defensive tackle at Baylor (’96-99) and in the NFL with Philadelphia (2000) and the N.Y. Giants (2002).

• Cousin, Bert Emanuel, was selected in the second round (45th overall) by Atlanta in ‘94 and played in the NFL as a wide receiver with Atlanta (’94-97), Tampa Bay (’98-99) and Miami (2000).

• Cousin, Ben Emanuel, was a defensive back at UCLA (2000-04). He was a fifth-round selection (171st overall) of Carolina in the 2005 NFL Draft.

• Cousin, Aaron Emanuel, was a standout running back at USC (’85-86, ‘88-89).

• Cousin, John Williams, is a redshirt senior defensive end at Oklahoma.

• Cousin, Kevin Emanuel, was a defensive lineman at Florida State (2000-03).

• Maintains his own website at www.superdj56.com.

• Full name: Derrick O’Hara Johnson.

• Married, wife Tamika with a son Derrick II (1).