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.
