Fourth-year Chiefs defender has entered 2025 with a renewed confidence after facing obstacles early in his career
This could be his breakout season.
One of the more unheralded picks from the Kansas City Chiefs’ impressive 2022 NFL Draft class is cornerback Nazeeh Johnson.
He played exclusively on special teams as a rookie, racking up eight tackles. Johnson entered 2023 with a lot of hype, as he ran with the first-team defense throughout offseason OTAs. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL early on during training camp, costing him the entire season.
Johnson returned in 2024 in appeared in every game but one, making six starts. While speaking to the media following Day 13 of training camp practice on Wednesday, Johnson stated that he finally feels as good as he did prior to sustaining the ACL injury two years ago.
“Oh, man, I feel completely different,” Johnson said. “I feel like I did in Year 2. I don’t even think about my knee. Last year I was dealing with my knee swelling here and there, and it just lingered on through the season. But now it’s healthy. I feel normal. I actually feel better than I did prior to my injury.”
2024 was essentially Johnson’s rookie season, which had its ups and downs. He believes that the experience he gained laid the groundwork for being able to take the next step in his development in 2025.
“I feel like last year was just a baseline,” Johnson said. “It’s my first year ever playing corner in the NFL, even in a game. Then coming off the ACL as well, there was a lot of stuff going on. But, I look at it as a baseline. I can only get better from there.”
Johnson also said that his coaches encouraged him to loosen up a bit and not overthink things.
“They just challenged me,” Johnson said of his coaches. “They’re like — we need that dog back. Stop worrying about messing up. Be bold. Be great. So I just took that into the offseason and just challenged myself. Why not me? I can play a lot freer. Last year I was just nervous. Not trying to make a mistake being the new guy in the room at corner. But in reality, you just got to go out there and just play free.”
Johnson recorded 56 total tackles and three passes defensed last season. Now that he has some experience under his belt and is completely healthy, perhaps he will take his game to the next level in 2025. With Kristian Fulton still on the PUP list, there are extra reps for Johnson to have with the first-team defense, whether it’s out on the boundary or inside the slot.
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