Tag: Nazeeh Johnson

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo: DB Nazeeh Johnson ‘earned’ first-team reps before injury

#Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo lamented the loss of defensive back Nazeeh Johnson in his comments to the media on Monday. | from: @EdEastonJr

Defensive back Nazeeh Johnson was an early standout at the Kansas City Chiefs’ first week of training camp this year before tearing his ACL at practice over the weekend, effectively ending his 2023 season.

Johnson’s solid play didn’t go unnoticed, though, as Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo acknowledged the injured defensive back after Monday’s practice in his comments to the media after Monday’s rain-shortened practice.

“I’m really sad to see that happen [to] Nazeeh [Johnson],” Spagnuolo said. “He was really climbing. If you guys notice he was taking reps with the first group because he had earned it. He’s got a really good corner skill set. I mean, he played safety in college, but so hopefully, you know, we’ll pray he gets healthy real quick and gets back.”

Spagnuolo has plenty of options remaining in the secondary, but the loss of Johnson was clearly disappointing to the veteran coordinator, who seemed to have big plans in store for the rising young defender.

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Andy Reid breaks news on Chiefs injuries after Sunday practice

Andy Reid broke down all of the #Chiefs’ injuries during his post-practice press conference on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs have seen several key players go down due to injury at their training camp practices in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Andy Reid has been keeping reporters abreast of any updates regarding their status during his post-practice press conferences.

In his opening statement on Sunday, Reid laid out all of the Chiefs’ current injuries, which included one player who will be out for the remainder of Kansas City’s 2023 season.

Said Reid: “We’ve got really the same people that were injured Clyde [Edwards-Helaire] was sick, so we kept him out. Nazeeh [Johnson] tore his ACL which you know, [Mike] Danna calf, [Jody] Fortson shoulder, Isaiah Moore he’s going to need surgery. And then KT [Kadarius Toney] is making progress.

“That’s really it, nothing happened today. Good work today it’s the longest practice, so today was a two-hour and 25-minute practice, guys pounded through it they did a good job of competing and finishing strong. Back and forth which is good, offense and defense. Special teams got good work in today.”

Nazeeh Johnson’s loss was a disappointing development after Saturday’s practice, and Kansas City will have to rely on one of their young defenders to step up in his absence moving forward.

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Chiefs special teams film review, Week 17: Nazeeh Johnson has emerged

Our @WesleyRoesch goes to the film to find a positive note from the #Chiefs’ Week 17 special teams performance.

The Chiefs’ first matchup against the Broncos in Week 14 was one of the best games of the season for Kansas City’s special teams unit.

In Week 17 vs. Denver, it was one of the unit’s worst games. It was so bad that the unit dropped from 18th to 24th overall in Football Outsider’s special teams DVOA rankings.

It’s not even due to poor play across the board, either, but rather silly mental errors that seem to be easily fixable. Some of these frustrating issues have been a problem for the Chiefs all season long.

Thankfully, the unit wasn’t all bad. We’ll start with the biggest positive — that rookie safety Nazeeh Johnson has been impressive on special teams in the second half of the season. Then we’ll dive into the issues that plagued the team in Week 17.

Additionally, be sure to check out my special teams stats, snap counts and grades for individual players via Google Sheets for a closer look at player performances.

Chiefs promote CB Nazeeh Johnson, re-sign LB Elijah Lee to practice squad

The #Chiefs promoted rookie DB Nazeeh Johnson to the 53-man roster and re-signed LB Elijah Lee to the practice squad.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a pair of roster moves ahead of Wednesday’s practice.

Chiefs LB Elijah Lee is back on the practice squad after being released from the 53-man roster on Tuesday. As a vested veteran, he didn’t need to clear waivers and was free to rejoin the practice squad. His status as a vested veteran also means that he’ll fill one of the six spots on the practice squad reserved for players with an unlimited number of accrued seasons.

Lee had been on the 53-man roster since Week 2, but he was active in every game this season. He was a standard elevation from the practice squad in Week 1. During those three games, Lee played eight defensive snaps and 66 special teams snaps, recording four total tackles.

In order to make room for Lee on the practice squad, the Chiefs promoted CB Nazeeh Johnson to the 53-man roster. Johnson was a seventh-round draft pick out of Marshall for Kansas City and completes the “fab five” consisting of five defensive backs drafted this year. During the preseason, Johnson recorded four total tackles and allowed two receptions on three targets for 23 yards according to PFF.

With several AFC rivals dealing with injuries in the secondary, Kansas City opted to promote Johnson to the 53-man roster. He’ll play a primary role on special teams and could play a depth role in the secondary. His addition to the 53-man roster means that all 2022 NFL draft picks have spent time on the active roster this season. He also becomes the 11th rookie to spend time on the active roster.

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WATCH: Chiefs rookie WR Skyy Moore’s diving catch at training camp

#Chiefs rookie WR Skyy Moore had the play of the day at training camp on Friday with a diving grab over rookie DB Nazeeh Johnson.

Kansas City Chiefs receivers seem to have a knack for making diving catches at training camp so far.

Earlier in the week, it was JuJu Smith-Schuster making a crazy route adjustment and diving grab. This time it was rookie WR Skyy Moore hauling in a pass from QB Chad Henne against rookie slot CB Nazeeh Johnson. The coverage of the play was about as good as you could ask for it to be, with Johnson running stride-for-stride with Moore deep down the field. There was a bit of an armbar between the two of them, but it didn’t really matter in the end. Moore used his momentum to fall forward and catch the pass as he was going to the ground. Henne put it in front of him where Moore was the only one with a chance at it.

We’ve seen a lot of great play from the new wide receiver group at training camp so far, with each of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Moore and Smith-Schuster having their moments through three days of practice. Patrick Mahomes and Chad Henne seem to be working on building up that chemistry with the new guys ahead of the preseason.

If Moore can continue to make plays like this, but with Mahomes throwing him the ball instead of Henne, he’ll find plenty of work in Andy Reid’s offense as a rookie.

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Chiefs rookie Nazeeh Johnson draws inspiration from L’Jarius Sneed

#Chiefs rookie DB Nazeeh Johnson told reporters that he draws inspiration from L’Jarius Sneed and looks to learn from him. | from @EdEastonJr

The relationship between veterans and rookies is a critical combination for every team in the NFL. The rookies in need of guidance often rely on veteran players that occupy the same position as they work to build habits to become better players.

Marshall University’s Nazeeh Johnson joins a Kansas City Chiefs team that is searching for an instant spark from the secondary. The former walk-on earned a seventh-round selection 259th overall, but he won’t let his draft status determine his role on this team. Johnson spoke about his thoughts on making the jump to the NFL and shared that he draws inspiration from one of his new teammates during Monday’s rookie camp.

“I knew from day one because this is a pristine organization, and they have a great history here,” Johnson told reporters. “I knew from day one that you have to be a professional, they don’t care if you’re a rookie. You get some chances, but they expect everything out of you no matter what round you’re from.”

In 2021, Johnson posted 67 tackles, two interceptions, and a spot on the Conference USA All-Conference team. As he enters the NFL, he’s looking to model his game after one of his new teammates whom he’s familiar with from his time in college. That player is Chiefs’ third-year corner L’Jarius Sneed, who Johnson played against when Sneed was at Lousiana Tech.

“(L’Jarius) Sneed, I learned a lot from him because I played him in college,” said Johnson. “The way he translated from college to the pros is excellent, so I’m going to pick his brain and learn from him because he’s executing at a high level.”

Sneed was a pleasant surprise for the Chiefs during his rookie season in 2020, earning PFWA All-Rookie team honors. It appears the former fourth-round pick might also be adding the title of mentor in 2022. Under Sneed’s guidance, perhaps Johnson will be able to find a way to duplicate that type of early-career success and carve out a role on the team.

“I like how fluid he is, physical,” Johnson said of Sneed. “He plays the corner, he plays the nickel, so he knows a lot of positions on this defense. So he has created value for himself, so that’s the biggest thing, learning from somebody who created value. And that’s what I’m trying to do is to create value for myself.”

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