The Houston Texans were an overall disappointment in 2020 finishing with a 4-12 record after two straight seasons of winning the AFC South. However, they weren’t without their improved players.
According to Ben Linsey, the most improved player on the Texans in 2020 was none other than second-year cornerback Lonnie Johnson.
If Johnson wouldn’t have shown signs of improvement in his second season out of Kentucky, his career would be in need of some life support. As a rookie in 2019, Johnson earned just a 31.7 coverage grade, allowing seven touchdowns into his coverage and picking up nine penalties on the season.
Those struggles came primarily at outside cornerback, but Johnson made the move to safety this past season. The switch brought significantly better results. His overall grade improved nearly 30 points from 36.0 to 65.5, and Johnson was called for just one penalty on the year in over 700 defensive snaps.
Of course, cornerback was where Johnson started out his career with the Texans. During his second season, Johnson transitioned to safety, a position more suited for his 6-2, 213-pound frame. Johnson played in all 16 games, starting in five, and collected 76 tackles, including one tackle for loss.
