It’s no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders have a ton of young talent in addition to a war chest of draft picks and cap space, which is why everyone within the organization is so optimistic about the 2020 season.
To have a successful season though, a number of key players will have to return from injury and have success. One of those players is cornerback Isaiah Johnson. The Raiders traded for Johnson during last year’s NFL draft, indicating Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden must have seen something they liked.
Unfortunately, Johnson has been injury-plagued since joining the team. The rookie missed the first 10 weeks of action due to a facial fracture, then announced last month that he had undergone a successful back surgery.
Now, well after surgery, Johnson has provided an update on his back injury and seems to be progressing well, via his personal Twitter:
Update: Rehab is going Great, this shake back gone be serious! ⌚️
— Isaiah Johnson 🏁 (@_bigplayzay) February 19, 2020
While the Raiders are in the midst of a big transition, there will be many decisions along the way. Johnson still will have a lot to prove if he hopes to find a bigger role on the Raiders.
Last year he saw very limited time with the Raiders defense and ended up playing 15% of snaps with the special teams unit. There is no indication that Johnson’s role with the team is in jeopardy, but his injury bug will not help him find a true role moving forward.
If the Raiders cannot find some decent talent at corner, Johnson’s presence will certainly be appreciated. Although he did not really get a chance to show his skills in the NFL, Johnson did perform well in college. He finished two collegiate years at Houston with four interceptions and 88 total tackles. Hopefully, Johnson can overcome his injuries and find some playing time in 2020.
