The Tennessee Titans made a few additions to their secondary this week, one of which involved claiming former Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Lonnie Johnson off waivers.
A former second-round pick of the Texans in 2019, Johnson spent three years in Houston before being traded to the Chiefs earlier this offseason. However, Johnson was unexpectedly let go in the first round of cuts.
The Titans are already quite familiar with Johnson, who has faced Tennessee on multiple occasions during his three-year career. Adding to that, Johnson worked under defensive backs coach Anthony Midget in Houston.
Johnson didn’t wait long to make an impact in training camp. During his first practice on Wednesday, which was also the first joint session with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Johnson recorded an interception.
“It’s just a blessing to be here,” Johnson said after practice on Wednesday, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “I wasn’t expecting it but I got a good connection with [head coach Mike Vrabel], got a good connection with the DB coach [Anthony Midget] here.”
“First day out, I was blessed to get a pick the first play I was in, so just doing what I can,” Johnson added.
Johnson brings some versatility with him. He can play at safety, cornerback, and has experience on special teams. Tennessee may also give him a look in the tight end matchup role previously held by Dane Cruikshank.
As the Kentucky product continues to get acclimated and tries to earn a spot on the roster in Nashville, he’s just happy to be joining a winning culture in Tennessee.
“Just get in where I fit in and just get ready to work,” Johnson said. “I know [the Titans] got a winning culture here. They want to win, they want to get to the Super Bowl… This team works hard, got an excellent running back, QB; everybody just doing what they can to get to that next level, that next stage.”
While Johnson is facing an uphill climb in making the roster after joining the Titans so late in the offseason, he has a better shot to make the cut than most would in his position after Tennessee’s depth options in the secondary were lackluster in preseason Week 1.
