DB Johnson believes ‘the sky’s the limit’
Second-year player ready to contribute wherever needed
Cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. is an intimidating presence on the practice field, shoving around and shadowing wide receivers.
The former second-round draft pick from Kentucky is the biggest cornerback on the roster. He has run the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, which makes him one of the fastest defensive backs on the Texans.
Tall, strong, aggressive and mobile, Johnson represents the prototype for the corner position. Because of his combination of size and speed, Johnson is something of a hybrid between cornerback and safety.
The Texans envision Johnson having a versatile role, but he will spend the majority of his time lining up at corner. He’s a strong contender to start opposite veteran Bradley Roby.
During one of his better practices since the start of training camp, Johnson intercepted a Deshaun Watson pass in the end zone Tuesday morning that was tipped by nickel back Vernon Hargreaves. Johnson also broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Steven Mitchell.
Wide receivers, including Chad Hansen, have had trouble escaping from Johnson's powerful jams in press coverage.
“Look, I think you got it,” Texans coach and general manager Bill O’Brien said when asked about Johnson’s positional flexibility. “I think he’s a versatile guy and I think primarily he’s an outside corner, but last year, he did some different things. It’s week to week. We’ve got to look at the opponent and see where Lonnie’s skill set fits the best relative to how we want to play that opponent.
“He does a lot of things well. He works really hard and he’s got good size. He’s kind of a unique skill set, so he can do some different things. If he stays healthy, he’ll have a good year for us.”
During a regular-season win at Kansas City, Johnson batted away a deep pass from Patrick Mahomes intended for All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. Johnson held Kelce to one catch for 12 yards on two targets and gave up just two catches for 25 yards on five targets overall in that matchup.
Johnson is comfortable lining up wherever the Texans want to deploy him.
“I play DB for the Texans, I just don’t play corner,” Johnson said. “Like OB said, I can do a lot of things, so I just play DB for the Texans. That’s just my title.”
As a rookie, Johnson displayed flashes of potential and a hard-hitting style. In 14 games and seven starts, Johnson recorded 41 tackles with seven passes defended and no interceptions.
First-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver hasn’t seen a lot of corners quite like Johnson physically.
“Lonnie, he’s what, 6-1, 220 pounds, and he looks like a Will linebacker, but he still moves like a corner,” Weaver said. “That alone has showed me that he is motivated. He’s motivated to come in and prove why he was a second-round pick and to this point he’s done nothing but show us that on the football field. It’s awesome just to see that growth and maturation in him and I can’t wait to see all of things that he’s going to do this year for us.”
Johnson spent this offseason working to upgrade his technique, training in Tomball with Rischad “Footwork King” Whitfield. One of the biggest aspects of Johnson’s game they worked on was his trail technique and getting him to turn his body to play the football in the air while maintaining position and leverage against receivers.
Johnson was penalized 10 times last season with two declined, including four pass interference penalties, four defensive holding infractions, one illegal use of hands and one illegal formation for seven first downs surrendered.
“As far as my technique goes, I put in a lot of work this offseason and I just want to see the results,” Johnson said. “I’ve been seeing it, so just good offseason work.”
“A year ago, coming in as a corner, I didn’t know a lot about the game in the NFL. I learned a lot from Year 1 to Year 2. They say that’s your biggest jump. I’m just ready to show the world that I can do.”
Whitfield watched Johnson make strides throughout a virtual offseason, devoting his time to become a more technically sound football player. Now, that work is paying dividends.
“You’re talking about a corner with length and speed,” Whitfield said. “Lonnie’s goal is to build on everything. You don’t get good by doing nothing. Lonnie has been out here consistently working.
“The position he plays, he has to do everything in reverse. So the movements are complex. He would be able to fit any scheme — press, man, off-man, soft press — depending on what he sees.”
During the regular season last year, Johnson also skied to knock down a fake-punt pass during a December win over Tennessee. Johnson is determined to be better in every facet of his game this season. He returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in a playoff loss to the Chiefs.
“I’m just working on all my weaknesses I noticed last year,” Johnson said. “I’m trying to be a complete corner this year. I’ve got a lot of growth, a lot of room to grow. I’m still learning the position, doing everything possible to come into the game as a different kind of player.”
All of the Texans, including Johnson, who hurt his ankle in the game, struggled against Mahomes and Kelce in a 51-31 loss in the playoffs. Kelce caught 10 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns.
The Texans get a rematch against the Super Bowl champions on Sept. 10 at Arrowhead Stadium to launch the NFL regular season.
“In my career, I’m 1-1 against the Chiefs — a regular-season win, a postseason loss,” Johnson said. “So, it being the first game of the season, them being the defending Super Bowl champs, is going to be a tough challenge, but I feel like we’re ready or it.”
Johnson committed to Ohio State, but he didn’t qualify academically out of high school. He attended two junior colleges — San Bernardino Valley in California and Garden City in Kansas — before thriving at Kentucky and being named to the Senior Bowl.
Signed to a four-year, $5.214 million contract that includes $3.039 million guaranteed, Johnson represents a major investment for the Texans. Johnson is confident that his future is bright.
“The sky is the limit for Lonnie,” Johnson said. “I put in the work. I see the work that I put in with multiple people in the offseason and I’m just ready. The sky’s the limit for me, man."