Arrowhead Pride
In the early days of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2023 training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, second-year cornerback Nazeeh Johnson — who had been limited to special teams during his rookie season — was turning heads and drawing rave reviews for his work on defense.
Unfortunately, the former Marshall defender suffered a torn ACL during an indoor camp practice, ending his second campaign before it started. While he returned to play in 16 games (including six starts) in 2024, he seemed to be a shell of his former self as he adjusted to playing on a surgically repaired knee.
Now, however, Johnson is back to 100%.
“I feel completely different,” he declared, shortly after finishing Wednesday’s practice in the building where his 2022 season ended. “I feel like how I did entering Year 2. I don’t even think about my knee. Last year I was dealing with my knee swelling here and there; it just lingered on during the season. But now, it’s healthy. I feel normal. I actually feel better than I did prior to my injury.”
But Johnson’s recovery from a major injury wasn’t his only learning experience of the season. During his days with the Thundering Herd, Johnson had played safety. But in 2024, the Chiefs moved him outside to cornerback. He now understands that last year, he was still learning the nuances of the position.
“Personally,” Johnson explained, “I feel like last year was just a baseline. Granted, it was my first year ever playing corner in the NFL — or even in the game. Then, coming off the ACL as well, there was a lot of stuff going on. [So] I like to look at it as a baseline. I can only get better from there.”
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and his position coaches offered Johnson some encouragement after his first season back.
“They just challenged me,” Johnson recalled. “They were like, ‘We need that dog back. Stop worrying about messing up. Be bold, and be great.’ So I just took that in the offseason and just challenged myself. Why not me?”
With a strong group competing to fill Kansas City’s secondary, Johnson knows that versatility will play a major role in his playing time — because in team meetings, Spagnuolo has focused on having cornerbacks who can line up at multiple positions.
“He’s going to interchange us depending on personnel packages and stuff like that,” said Johnson, “so all of us [need to know] the different roles — from nickel to left [and] right corner. Everything changes, but Spags is a mastermind at that; it’s hard for teams to really get a gauge on who is going to be playing where.”
As Johnson prepares for his fourth season, he and his fellow corners have had the unenviable responsibility of covering Kansas City’s wide receivers, who seem to be making big plays in every video clip coming out of St. Joseph. He’ll be happy to pass the responsibility of covering speedsters...
