Tag: Danny Johnson

Commanders claim rookie CB Kyu Blu Kelly off waivers

Kelly was a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Surprisingly, the Washington Commanders released veteran cornerback Danny Johnson on Wednesday. Washington made the move to claim rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly off waivers from the Green Bay Packers.

The Commanders releasing Johnson isn’t necessarily the biggest surprise. Since signing with Washington as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Johnson has been released multiple times and spent time on the practice squad. However, he just signed a two-year extension in March after playing well down the stretch in 2022.

Johnson ends his time in Washington appearing in 66 games with eight starts. He recorded 96 tackles and one interception. Johnson also returned 38 kickoffs, averaging 22.5 yards per return.

The chance to land a young player like Kelly, who Washington liked in the pre-draft process last offseason, was an opportunity the Commanders couldn’t afford to pass up. The 6-foot-0, 193-pounder from Stanford was a fifth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2023 NFL draft but was waived during final cuts in August.

Kelly was claimed by Seattle, where he appeared in five games before being waived again on Nov. 11. That’s when the Packers claimed him, and he appeared in one game for Green Bay. In total, the rookie has appeared in six games this season but has played only two defensive snaps. Most of his action came on special teams.

During his time at Stanford, Kelly was a three-year starter and two-time second-team All-Pac 12 selection.

The Commanders have a connection to Kelly. Quarterbacks coach Tavita. Pritchard was with Kelly for all four of his seasons at Stanford, where he served as the offensive coordinator.

According to Mike Garofolo of the NFL Network, the Los Angeles Rams — Washington’s opponent this week — tried to claim on two different occasions this season.

Kelly’s father, Brian, a former second-round pick out of USC in 1998, played 11 NFL seasons, including 10 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The elder Kelly had 22 interceptions during his NFL career and also won a Super Bowl.

Ron Rivera talks Emmanuel Forbes’ attitude after Sunday’s benching

Rivera praised how Emmanuel Forbes handled not playing on Sunday.

Things haven’t gone as planned for Washington Commanders rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. The No. 16 overall pick struggled during Washington’s three-game losing streak, allowing multiple big plays, including around 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles in Week 4.

Instead of benching the rookie, head coach Ron Rivera kept putting him out there, hoping that he would learn from his struggles. After all, cornerbacks, especially the good ones, have short memories.

But in the Thursday night loss to the Chicago Bears, Forbes struggled again, and Washington coaches had seen enough. While they said all the right things about Forbes, Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio weren’t pleased with his play.

Del Rio said last week how much he still believes in Forbes and that he just needs to keep working, and things will be fine.

On Monday, Rivera met with the media after Washington’s Week 6 win over the Falcons. Forbes was active for the game but did not register one defensive snap. Instead, veteran Danny Johnson replaced him in the lineup.

Rivera said he was impressed with how Forbes has handled everything.

“I think he’s been great. He really has,” Rivera said of Forbes.

“He and I had a conversation last week as to what was going on. Just explained to him that we feel right now a little time down would help you. Good chance to kind of take a step back and watch it and see how things are done, see a little different perspective. Again, he’s been really good so far, and I expect him to continue. He’s a young pro who’s got a lot to learn and a lot of growth to have, but he’s got a chance. We really think this young man has got a great skill set and can be a good football player. This might take a little bit more time.”

The Commanders can’t sit Forbes for long. He was a first-round pick, and Rivera sold everyone on how he was always their guy. He needs to play. Sure, a reset was probably good for him after a difficult stretch, but he should be back on the field in Week 7.

I believe Washington sat Forbes against the Falcons due to the size of Atlanta’s wideouts, which included tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith. It’s a big group and wouldn’t have been a good matchup for Forbes.

We shall see if Forbes is back on the field against the Giants.

 

Rivera not happy with the way cornerback Danny Johnson was injured

Rivera addressed Mark Andrews’ cheap shot to Danny Johnson from Washington’s joint practice with the Ravens.

The Washington Commanders were back on the practice fields in Ashburn for Day 18 of training camp Friday. The medical staff was evaluating cornerback Danny Johnson after injuring his shoulder on Tuesday during the first day of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens.

Johnson, the 5-foot-9 sixth-year defensive back, was slammed from behind by Ravens tight end Mark Andrews after Johnson broke up a pass intended for Andrews. Andrews is 6-foot-5, 247 pounds.

Check it out.

It was an unnecessary move by Andrews, who will likely face no discipline for the cheap shot. Johnson injured his rotator cuff in the fall and remains day-to-day for the time being.

For the first time Friday, Washington head coach Ron Rivera addressed how Johnson was injured, and he wasn’t happy.

“I’m upset with the way it happened,” Rivera said. ‘It’s just unfortunate, too, you know? And to what extent, we don’t know yet, and we won’t know anything until, well, they might know something now. I just haven’t had a chance to talk to [Head Athletic Trainer] Al [Bellamy], but you know, it’s unfortunate that did happen at all.”

Johnson re-signed with the Commanders in March and is a key reserve while maintaining his role on special teams.

We wonder if Rivera expressed his displeasure with Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

 

Commanders CB Danny Johnson injures rotator cuff after being slammed by Mark Andrews

Fortunately, Johnson should be fine.

The Washington Commanders got some good work during this week’s joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, the lasting images from Washington’s two days in Owings Mills were the skirmishes.

One fight saw Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes exchange punches with Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace. As players from both teams arrived to intervene, Baltimore wideout Devin Duvernay came from behind Forbes and slammed him to the ground. It was a cheap shot that could have injured the rookie first-round pick.

The other scuffle occurred when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews slammed Commanders cornerback Danny Johnson. Unlike Forbes, Johnson was injured on the play, according to Pro Football Talk. PFT reported that Johnson suffered a rotator cuff injury. The good news is Johnson avoided serious injury and is considered day-to-day.

Here’s a look at the play.

It didn’t look like Johnson did anything egregious here, only breaking up the pass intended for Andrews. After the play, Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne came to Andrews and wanted him to take his helmet off. Andrews wisely walked away.

Cooler heads eventually prevailed between the teams, but Andrews will likely not be punished, although the circumstances probably would’ve been different if it happened during a game.

Commanders Danny Johnson appreciates being in Washington

Danny Johnson is an underrated part of Washington’s secondary.

Commanders cornerback Danny Johnson is glad to be back with Washington.

Age 27, Johnson has spent some time on the Washington roster in each of the last five seasons (2018-22). With Benjamin St-Juste fighting injuries, Johnson started four games during the 2022 season. Johnson collected his first career interception and sack.

This week, Johnson signed a 2-year, $5,000,000 contract with the Commanders, including a $1,750,000 signing bonus, $2,750,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,500,000.

This week he had the opportunity to briefly sit down with former Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot to discuss his new contract and return to the Commanders in 2023. Here are some excerpts of the discussion.

“It’s exciting to just have the weight lifted off your shoulder,” said Johnson. I’m excited to be back, and I’m ready to get back to work.”

“Coming from a school like Southern University, which is HBCU, you always have your back against the wall and just be willing to fight. I just take advantage of every opportunity I had.”

“Knowing what I was capable of and just presenting the opportunity to go out and make plays, (I want) to help the team however. I would just do whatever I could to show them that I wanted to be here, play for the organization.”

Johnson has had to battle mentally the rigors of being on the practice squad, active roster and back to the Practice Squad. “Injuries happen, players go down. Whatever the situation may be, I just try to stay in those meetings and stay locked in, and when my number is called, just be ready to go out there and play.”

“Starting those last few games, I showed I can go out there and play with confidence and just play, whether it was inside or outside, just wherever they need me.”

Commanders attempting to re-sign QB Taylor Heinicke

The Commanders want to keep Heinicke around.

So, after day one of the 2023 free agent cycle, what can be said regarding the Commanders’ efforts and or strategy?

How about the most important position of quarterback? Reporter John Keim firmly believes the Commanders are attempting to retain quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Keim tweeted that he knows the Commanders are trying to re-sign Heinicke.

Monday saw the Dolphins offer the Jets’ Mike White $16 million for two years to be the backup quarterback. No doubt, Heinicke’s agent is well aware and expressing how Heinicke, in the last two years, has been involved in more clutch plays and wins than White.

Quickly recapping the actual transactions of the first day. New Commanders for 2023 are going to be guard Nick Gates (Giants) and RT Andrew Wylie (Chiefs). The Commanders also signed Seattle linebacker Cody Barton and claimed Vikings CB Cameron Dantzler off of waivers.

Now Commanders fans might fall into the temptation to complain about the fact that the new players are not star material. However, what might be missed is that the Commanders made it a priority to resign Daron Payne. And that is big news. Payne and Jonathan Allen form the strongest starting position on the team, and they are both locked up for a few more years.

They also extended two defensive players who played well in the season finale against Dallas in Khaleke Hudson and CB Danny Johnson.

 

 

Commanders re-sign cornerback Danny Johnson

Danny Johnson was a key reserve for the Commanders last season.

The Washington Commanders have been busy Monday addressing needs on the offensive line during the NFL’s early tampering period. All free-agent deals cannot be signed until Wednesday, and as we know from J.D. McKissic from last year, players can their minds.

In addition to the Commanders addressing needs on the offensive line, they also retained a key defensive back Monday. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Washington agreed to terms with cornerback Danny Johnson on a two-year deal worth up to $7 million with $2.75 million guaranteed.

The 5-foot-9 Johnson first arrived in Washington as an undrafted free agent from Southern in 2018. Johnson has been cut and assigned to the practice squad multiple times during his five-year career. He has been a standout on special teams, including returning kicks at one point.

Every time Johnson has received a chance on defense, he’s played well. Last season was his best season yet for Washington. He played a lot due to Washington’s trade of William Jackson III and Benjamin St-Juste’s injury after being moved back to outside corner.

Check out this from Sam Fortier from The Washington Post:

Johnson played well in coverage and also is unafraid to stick his nose in the running game.

This does not change Washington’s plans to add a cornerback somewhere in the 2023 NFL draft. Johnson is depth — excellent depth — and it was smart to bring him back.

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Commanders’ top defensive player grades for Week 17, per PFF

It wasn’t a great day for Washington’s defense, although some players, including Chase Young, stood out.

If you watched the Washington Commanders’ 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns Sunday, your biggest takeaway was likely quarterback Carson Wentz’s ineptitude.

However, lost among the Wentz talk was Washington’s defense. The Commanders held the Browns to just 81 total yards in the first half. Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson looked terrible, and running back Nick Chubb hadn’t quite gotten going.

In the second half, the Browns flipped the script, as Watson tossed three touchdown passes — two to wide receiver Amari Cooper — and Chubb went over 100 yards rushing. Regardless of who Washington started at quarterback, the Commanders weren’t winning with this defensive performance.

It’s important to note the Commanders were without their top safety [Kam Curl] and their top cornerback [Benjamin St-Juste], and have been without their top linebacker [Cole Holcomb] since Week 7. Even worse, Washington lost Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to a knee injury in the second quarter. The Commanders never recovered.

Defensive end Chase Young started in his second game back and continues to play well. How well?

Let’s review Pro Football Focus‘ highest-graded defensive players for the Commanders from Week 17.

Commanders rule out St-Juste and Milne vs. Falcons

Losing Benjamin St-Juste and Dax Milne for Sunday creates two big openings for the Commanders. How will they replace them?

Friday was a not a good news day for the Washington Commanders.

The team ruled out both Benjamin St-Juste and Dax Milne for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.

Naturally, the first thought that comes to mind is the size of Falcons receiver Drake London. St-Juste certainly has the most size and best range of any of the Commanders defensive backs. The loss of St-Juste against the Falcons should not be minimized.

Of note, the team elevated corner Danny Johnson from the practice squad on Oct. 24 and Johnson has seen action in each game from Weeks 8-11. Johnson only played two defensive snaps against the Colts and none against the Eagles. However, he was in on 50 defensive snaps against the Vikings and 11 last week in Houston. So, Johnson is the likely candidate to see more action against the Falcons.

Corner Rachad Wildgoose has not seen action on defense since the Colts game and rookie corner Christian Holmes has seen only special teams action this year, with the lone exception being six snaps on defense against the Eagles in Week 3.

Washington does have three other defensive backs on their practice squad, were they to determine to elevate one up to the roster this week. Corn Elder has seen regular season action with the Panthers (2018-20) and last season with Washington. Texas Tech rookie Damarcus Fields saw action for the Saints on special teams in two games earlier this season and was signed to the Commanders’ practice squad on Oct. 26.

Troy Apke was released from the practice squad, but brought back to the squad this season and has the most regular-season game experience of those available to be elevated to the roster.

With Milne being out Sunday, possibly rookie Jahan Dotson will be called upon to return punts. Dotson started out quite well, with four receiving touchdowns in the first four games, but pulled a hamstring and missed the next five consecutive games.

The Commanders did receive some good news Friday. Defensive end James Smith-Williams who is producing his finest year thus far in 2022, had been out of practice with an illness, but he returned Friday and is expected to play against the Falcons.

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Commanders sign 15 players to the practice squad

Introducing Washinton’s initial practice squad for 2022.

The Washington Commanders announced 15 of 16 players for their first practice squad of the 2022 season. However, the Commanders have two spots open on the practice squad due to defensive tackle David Bada’s exemption as a part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.

All 15 names should be familiar to Washington fans. Every member of the initial practice squad spent the summer with the Commanders. Surprisingly, former fourth-round pick guard Wes Martin wasn’t re-signed to the practice squad. Washington recently claimed Martin off waivers after the Jaguars released him.

Ben Standig of The Athletic did report the Commanders still plan to re-sign Martin.

Here is Washington’s current 15-man practice squad after Wednesday’s moves.