Why Chiefs coaches aren't giving up yet on Nazeeh Johnson's redemption arc

When the Kansas City Chiefs submitted their draft card for the 259th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, even the most positive of execs inside Arrowhead could have predicted what sort of scouting streak the team was putting together. Not only would the 2022 NFL Draft lay a foundation for Super Bowls to come, it could very well go down as the greatest single draft in team history.

A big part of that draft class's success wasn't just the hits at the top (Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis) but it was the trio of picks in the seventh round who all became top performers. Jaylen Watson at corner and Isiah Pacheco have turned into reliable performers on both sides of the ball for Kansas City, while the third prospect, Nazeeh Johnson, is in the rotation for regular reps in the secondary.

But Johnson's best football might be still to come.

Johnson's journey to date has taken longer than the others due to injury concerns. During his first season, his elite athleticism and instincts earned him a lot of trust from Dave Toub, who played him in 11 games that rookie season. From there, Johnson was poised to steal someone's job in the secondary when he was lost for the season.

There are good reasons to believe Johnson's best football is yet to come.

That preseason, the Chiefs were trotting out Johnson alongside L'Jarius Sneed and McDuffie in telling situations, but then came the torn ACL. Suddenly he was lost for the season and surgery was required to get things right. Even after his return, Johnson found himself on the bottom of the depth chart again having to earn his keep against an ascending Watson and Joshua Williams as well as new faces like Nic Jones, Keith Taylor and more.

This season, Johnson has earned back the trust of Chiefs coaches, and Steve Spagnuolo has him rotating in regularly as a starter on the boundary opposite McDuffie as the team tries to deal with Watson's season-ending injury. Unfortunately, Johnson has struggled in coverage and teams have taken advantage of mismatches at times, leading some fans to wonder why Spags continues to stick with Johnson at times instead of going back to Williams.

The juries for some fans have already returned with a verdict, but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters that such conclusions should be debated. When speaking about Johnson and Williams, with an emphasis on the former, Reid gave some important insight into the context of the struggles at corner.

"Yeah, listen, I'm glad we have both of them," said Reid. "I think both of them can still work in there and do some things. And we haven't given up on Nazeeh or anything of that sort. I mean he's coming off pretty major knee surgery, and so we've kind of kept an eye on that. As we go forward, we can we can use both of them, I'm sure."

Here's where it's important to look at another position for a quick second: Turk Wharton is having a very strong season as an interior disruptor enjoying a career season in his fifth year. He was a cheap re-signing for a team chasing another Super Bowl and the move barely made the headlines when it happened. It was the same as bringing back Derrick Nnadi or Mike Pennel—the Chiefs running it back and choosing to do with familiar faces.

But Wharton's game has been significantly improved this season and there's one primary reason—distance from his knee injury. These things take time and even when a player is healthy enough to return, it doesn't mean they're fully 100 percent. One year after returning to the field, Wharton is now taking the leap that he should have taken a year prior—and that's what Reid seems to be insinuating about Johnson.

At some point, Johnson was leapfrogging nearly everyone in the Chiefs secondary to become a playmaker in the defensive backfield. Following his ACL injury, Chiefs fans might want to be a bit more patient with Johnson as he re-learns the ropes and adjusts his game accordingly. He may never regain that form, but Chiefs coaches seem to think a better version of Johnson is coming. Fans should trust that instinct, too.