Green Bay Packers rookie safety Anthony Johnson Jr. has spent just about all of training camp playing with the third-team defense and was pretty far down on the depth chart. However, following a very good performance on Friday in Cincinnati, Johnson has seen some reps with the starters on Sunday and Monday.
“I think he’s done a great job,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “You can certainly see his speed. His athleticism. He made plays on teams which is absolutely critical. I thought he went in there, (and) outside of the dropped interception, I thought he played pretty well.”
Johnson posted an elite 10-yard split in the 40-yard dash on the Relative Athletic Score scale during the pre-draft process, along with elite testing in the vertical and broad jumps. He has been able to flash this burst in practice with one rep, in particular, coming to mind where Johnson was the deep safety, recognized it was a run play, and filled the gap at the line of scrimmage to limit the ball carrier.
Against the Bengals, Johnson played 10 special teams snaps — the sixth most on the team — across four different units and made two tackles. On defense, Johnson again showcased that tackling ability that we saw from him at Iowa State, totaling three tackles and limiting pass catchers to just 10 yards on two receptions.
As a result of his recent play, Johnson has now seen some snaps during both Sunday and Monday’s practices with the ones on defense. Before Friday, it didn’t even look like Johnson was going to make the 53-man roster, as he was routinely the sixth safety on the depth chart, playing behind Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore, and even Dallin Leavitt. The last time the Packers rostered six safeties was back in 2016.
The first four players just listed are going to be on the 53-man roster. The question that remains in that regard is who will be starting next to Savage? But Johnson recently appears to be challenging Leavitt for that potential fifth and final roster spot. In terms of defensive upside, it’s not even close; Johnson has the edge there over Leavitt. And if he can continue to make an impact on special teams, Leavitt’s role then becomes diminished.
From a roster construction standpoint, keeping the young, still developing player on the back end of the roster makes more sense than the veteran who is playing on a one-year deal and can really only impact the game through special teams.
Johnson has the skill set to fill an Adrian Amos-like role in this Packers defense, with his sound tackling and ability to play in the box, along with the play referenced above also illustrating why. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this is only his second season playing the safety position. Johnson’s first four years at Iowa State were as a boundary cornerback. Even if he makes the final roster, 2023 is likely going to be a developmental season for him from a defensive standpoint.
The next handful of days will provide Johnson with a big opportunity to continue boosting his training camp stock. The Packers have a pair of joint practices with New England on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a preseason game on Saturday.
“I think he’s done a great job,” added LaFleur. “He loves football. I think RD (Ryan Downard), G-Money (Greg Williams) have done a good job with him—and Hoodie (Justin Hood). He loves it. He’s totally invested into it, and he’s done a really, really nice job for us.”
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