Tag: Lonnie Johnson

Texans cornerback battle: Gareon Conley versus Lonnie Johnson

The Houston Texans will have a cornerback battle when they get to training camp as Lonnie Johnson and Gareon Conley each seek a starting job.

Name a potential starting cornerback for the Houston Texans in 2020. Easy: Bradley Roby.

Name the cornerback that starts on the other side of Roby. That may be a little trickier to figure out, and the Texans coaches will have to figure that problem out if and when they get to training camp.

According to Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus, the battle between Gareon Conley and Lonnie Johnson is the matchup to watch. Interestingly, Linsey believes that Texans fourth-round rookie John Reid will be well adjusted enough to take the starting slot cornerback position.

That leaves opposite of Roby up for grabs.

Johnson had a disastrous rookie season after his second-round selection by the Texans out of Kentucky, earning a coverage grade of 29.0 and allowing a passer rating of 133.5 into his coverage. Conley has disappointed in the context of his first-round draft status, but he has graded at 64.0 and 64.5 the last two seasons in a prominent role — solid play for a starting cornerback. Those numbers get even better press coverage, where he has graded out as one of the best players at the position across the entire NFL.

The Texans will have a deep cornerback group to work with when they get to training camp. In addition to Johnson and Conley, the Texans also have Cornell Armstrong, Keion Crossen, Phillip Gaines, and Vernon Hargreaves.

As is always the case with training camp, one of the deciding factors for the starting job will be how healthy and available Conley and Johnson are. If either one of them has to miss time with an injury, it could open up the job for the other competitor. Conley would have more to lose in that scenario since he is in the last year of his contract with the Texans, and limited reps on an expiring deal would not be an ideal way to play for a second contract.

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Texans DC Anthony Weaver shoots down idea of moving Lonnie Johnson to safety

First year Houston Texans defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver says that Lonnie Johnson is a cornerback, and expects him to make a jump in year two.

Former Houston Texans second-round pick Lonnie Johnson is playing cornerback, but his 6-2, 213-pound frame suggests that he might be a better fit at safety in his second season.

When approached with the idea of moving Johnson to safety, first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver told Houston reporters on a conference call on Wednesday that the 24-year-old will be staying where he is on the outside.

“In terms of Lonnie moving to safety, I think Lonnie’s a corner,” Weaver said. “I think Lonnie’s a corner. I think he has press ability, he has length, he has speed. We’ve got to get his confidence right, and I don’t think he lacks in that area either.”

As a rookie from Kentucky, Johnson produced 41 tackles and seven pass breakups in 14 games, seven of which he started. Just as rookies tend to blossom later in their initial year due to increased playing time, Johnson had a boost on confidence in the divisional playoffs when he returned a 10-yard blocked punt for a touchdown early in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Weaver was impressed with the way Johnson was able to have success as a rookie, especially in a position where being burned by receivers is commonplace.

Said Weaver: “The cornerback position, particularly for rookies, is a difficult one. To come in and have success early at corner is not easy. Those guys, they’re out there on those islands, they’re all by themselves and sometimes they’re just not being put in the best positions. We’ve got to help them. I’ve got the utmost faith in our DB room.”

Johnson is part of a revamped cornerback group that has Bradley Roby, Keion Crossen, Cornell Armstrong, Phillip Gaines, Gareon Conley, and Vernon Hargreaves returning. The club also drafted a cornerback in Round 4 of the 2020 NFL Draft with John Reid from Penn State.

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Texans CB Lonnie Johnson aiming to improve footwork in second season

Houston Texans cornerback Lonnie Johnson hopes to improve his footwork, and in turn, his coverage skills just in time for the 2020 season.

When the 2020 NFL season kicks off and the COVID-19 pandemic is behind humanity, Houston Texans cornerback Lonnie Johnson doesn’t wwant to keep six feet of space between him and opposing receivers unless necessary.

The 2019 second-round pick from Kentucky has been working on improving his footwork in the offseason. Video emerged of the 6-2, 213-pound cornerback working in a spacious backyard refurbished as enough gridiron for Johnson to go to work.

Johnson retweeted the video and added the lock emoji, indicating that he seeks to tighten his coverage skills in his second season.

Assistant head coach Romeo Crennel said on Dec. 26, three days before the 2019 season finale versus the Tennessee Titans, that Johnson had learned over the course of his rookie season with Houston.

“He’s learned a lot since he’s been with us, but the ability to learn the receivers that you have to go against week in and week out, he doesn’t have that catalog built up yet,” Crennel said. “So he’s going to have to build that catalog so that he can just refer to his notes when he goes up against a guy and he’ll know what to expect and how he should be able to play him.”

What should help Johnson as he builds that catalog is improved footwork. The cornerback group for the Texans may be a bit crowded in 2020 with Bradley Roby and Vernon Hargreaves returning and Gareon Conley, Phillip Gaines, Cornell Armstrong, Anthony Chesley, and Keion Crossen still on the roster.

Texans score two touchdowns in less than two minutes to stun Chiefs

Early in the Texans-Chiefs divisional playoff game, it’s Houston who has all the edges.

Coming into their divisional round matchup against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, the Texans had never scored a first-quarter  touchdown in the postseason. Bill O’Brien’s team took care of that very quickly when Deshaun Watson found several holes in Kansas City’s coverage and hit Kenny Stills for a 54-yard touchdown with 12:07 left in the first quarter. The Chiefs were reading receiver Will Fuller too aggressively on a receiver screen, and that left opportunity open for Stills downfield.

The Chiefs went three-and-out on their subsequent drive, and with 10:13 left in the first quarter, Dustin Colquitt tried a punt, which was blocked by linebacker Barkevious Mingo and returned by cornerback Lonnie Johnson for a 10-yard touchdown.

In their 28-12 upset of the Ravens yesterday, the Titans went up 14-0 in a big hurry, while Baltimore’s receivers were dropping multiple passes. So far, this game seems to be playing to a very similar script.

Touchdown Wire editor Doug Farrar previously covered football for Yahoo! Sports, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, the Washington Post, and Football Outsiders. His first book, “The Genius of Desperation,” a schematic history of professional football, was published by Triumph Books in 2018 and won the Professional Football Researchers Association’s Nelson Ross Award for “Outstanding recent achievement in pro football research and historiography.”

Why is Texans CB Lonnie Johnson only playing special teams?

Houston Texans cornerback Lonnie Johnson is playing more special teams than defense. Why is that? Romeo Crennel explains.

The Houston Texans threw rookie cornerback Lonnie Johnson into the fire.

By Week 2 of his inaugural NFL season, Johnson was a starting cornerback for the Texans, entering the lineup after Houston released cornerback Aaron Colvin. However, his prominent role on defense didn’t last long.

Johnson has not played more than 50% of defensive snaps since Week 11’s Baltimore Ravens’ drubbing of the Texans. Why did the Texans regulate their young defensive starter to special teams?

“Well, the thing is that we have some other guys who have played in the league on the team we’ve added since we had Lonnie, so they are doing pretty good,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said on Thursday.

The Texans made Johnson, a Kentucky product, a second-round pick in April. Since then, they’ve tinkered with their lineup, adding former first-round picks Gareon Conley (2017) and Vernon Hargreaves (2016) via trade and waivers, respectively. The two are starters, with Hargreaves acting as Houston’s nickel.

The Texans are letting Johnson grow behind the two. Rather than throw an experienced corner into the fire for the rest of the season, they want him to develop heading into 2020. That comes as no surprise, as rookie cornerbacks often struggle.

I tell Lonnie all the time, I say, ‘You’re still a rookie and you’ve still got a lot to learn,’ Crennel said. “He’s learned a lot since he’s been with us, but the ability to learn the receivers that you have to go against week in and week out, he doesn’t have that catalog built up yet. So he’s going to have to build that catalog so that he can just refer to his notes when he goes up against a guy and he’ll know what to expect and how he should be able to play him.”

Johnson earned seven starts in 13 games played. In doing so, the 22-year-old tallied 36 combined tackles and seven pass deflections while allowing a 105.4 passer rating in coverage, per Pro Football Reference. 

Expect Johnson to re-establish himself as a defender in the future.

DC Romeo Crennel: Texans’ rotation of cornerbacks helps evaluation

Recently, the Houston Texans have rotated through five different cornerbacks. Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel says it helps their evaluations.

The Houston Texans have a problem. They can’t decide who they want to play at cornerback.

Since March, Houston has added three former first-round cornerbacks to the roster, in Bradley Roby (2015), Vernon Hargreaves (2016) and Gareon Conley (2017). They did so while retaining long-time starter Johnathan Joseph and drafted Lonnie Johnson in the second round.

When all are healthy, the Texans don’t know who to play. Last week, in a 38-24 loss to the Denver Broncos, Houston rotated through the five aforementioned, with Roby seeing the most snaps at 76% (45). That was the plan.

“We planned to rotate a little bit,” said defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel on Thursday. “We have more corners that can play now than we’ve ever had before since I’ve been here. So, we wanted to get everybody a little taste to see what they can do.”

As Crennel alludes to, the Texans feel as if they have an abundance of talent in their cornerback room. They have their best in franchise history in Joseph, a lockdown slot defender in Roby, a promising rookie in Johnson and two former highly-touted recruits in Conley and Hargreaves, who are each 24 years old.

Rotating will help evaluate who they want in the now and future.

“I think that helps our evaluation, that helps the competition in the room, and then we can stay a little bit fresher as well,” said Crennel.

According to Pro Football Reference, Roby leads the bunch in coverage, as he allows a 77.7 passer rating when targeted. Joseph is second with a 101.7. Conley is third with a 105.6. Johnson and Hargreaves round out the bunch with a 107.5 and 116.5, respectively.

With three weeks left in the season, expect the Texans to rotate through cornerbacks less as they figure out a combination that will suit their needs. Of course, they will have to get to the postseason first, which they can do by winning two out of the next three.

Justin Reid, Lonnie Johnson, Bradley Roby return to Texans practice

Injured cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Lonnie Johnson returned to practice for the Houston Texans on Monday.

The Houston Texans may have their complete secondary for their challenging Week 13 tilt with the New England Patriots. On Monday, safety Justin Reid and cornerbacks Lonnie Johnson and Bradley Roby returned to practice, per the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson.

Reid suffered a concussion and shoulder injury in Week 11’s 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He was not cleared from the concussion protocol in time to make Houston’s 20-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

If Reid plays on Sunday, he will insert as the Texans’ starting free safety, where he has played since joining the starting lineup in 2018.

Like Reid, Johnson sustained an injury against the Ravens. His foot injury caused him to miss Thursday night’s tilt with Indy. A second-round pick out of Kentucky, he started over Johnathan Joseph while Roby missed time.

Roby has not played since Week 6’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs, in which he suffered a hamstring injury. He has been questionable since and was a game-time decision for Thursday’s win. If he is playing, he will likely insert as a starter, either in the slot or outside.

Texans-Colts Wednesday injury report: Justin Reid, Lonnie Johnson out

The Houston Texans announced their final injury report for Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday, with notable names being out.

Typically, Wednesday’s are the first day of injury reports. However, with the Houston Texans hosting the Indianapolis Colts on “Thursday Night Football,” it is the last, which depicts who will and won’t play on the primetime, short-week game.

The Texans ruled out three defenders; safety Justin Reid (concussion/shoulder), safety Mike Adams (concussion) and cornerback Lonnie Johnson (ankle). Each suffered their respective injuries in Week 11’s blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Did not participate
S Mike Adams Concussion OUT
S Justin Reid Concussion/shoulder OUT
CB Lonnie Johnson Ankle OUT
Limited participation
WR Will Fuller Hamstring QUESTIONABLE
S Tashaun Gipson Back QUESTIONABLE
CB Bradley Roby Hamstring QUESTIONABLE
Full participation
QB Deshaun Watson Ankle
T/G Tytus Howard Knee

On the other side of the ball, the Colts ruled out running back Marlon Mack (hand), cornerback Shakial Taylor (ankle), safety Khari Willis (concussion) and wide receiver Parris Campbell (hand).

Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (ankle), tight end Mo-Allie Cox (thumb), tight end Eric Ebron (ankle) and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (calf) are all questionable to play in the divisional contest.

Texans-Ravens Wednesday injury report: Lonnie Johnson, Greg Mancz return to practice

The Houston Texans got some favorable news on the injury front as rookie CB Lonnie Johnson and G/T Greg Mancz both cleared concussion protocol.

The Houston Texans received favorable news ahead of their Week 11 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT.

On Wednesday, both rookie cornerback Lonnie Johnson and guard Greg Mancz cleared concussion protocol, which meant both players were back at practice.

The Texans did not have any players who were non-participants, nor did they have any players who were deemed full participants.

Limited participation
ILB Dylan Cole Knee
WR Will Fuller Hamstring
S Tashaun Gipson Back/Wrist
G/T Tytus Howard Knee
CB Bradley Roby Hamstring
OT Laremy Tunsil Shoulder

The Ravens had five players who were not participants in practice, including CB Brandon Carr (not injury related), RB Mark Ingram (not injury related), DT Michael Pierce (ankle), CB Jimmy Smith (not injury related), and S Earl Thomas (not injury related/knee).

WR Marquise Brown (ankle) and WR Chris Moore (thumb) were both limited participants in practice.

Can the Texans count on CB Lonnie Johnson to play against the Ravens?

The Houston Texans have not had CB Lonnie Johnson since Week 8. Will he be ready to go against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11?

The Houston Texans have been thin at cornerback, so thin that the unit took a big hit when rookie Lonnie Johnson left the Week 8 encounter with a concussion.

Normally, when a rookie is injured, it doesn’t have an impact on the unit. But given how banged up the cornerback group was at that point, Johnson leaving the game had a big effect. He was also unavailable the next week as the Texans took on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London at Wembley Stadium.

Houston may get their rookie back for their Week 11 showdown with the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

At a minimum, Johnson is making progress to get out of the concussion protocol and help the Texans secondary.

The Texans played cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph, Gareon Conley, and Keion Crossen against the Jaguars. If the Texans are able to get back the 6-2, 213-pound second-round pick from Kentucky, it will help in their ability to lock down the Ravens’ passing game.