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'Natural ability': Rookie DB Antonio Johnson adds new dimension to Jaguars' defense
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- 'Natural ability': Rookie DB Antonio Johnson adds new dimension to Jaguars' defense
It didn't take long for Antonio Johnson to make a splash.
A few days into training camp, the Jacksonville Jaguars rookie defensive back was tasked with covering receiver Jamal Agnew , a fast-twitched veteran who made the Pro Bowl last year for his ability to run in the open field as a return specialist, in the slot one-on-one.
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On a typical hot and humid Jacksonville day, Johnson had his hands full as Agnew ran a route that essentially cuts off to the corner of the end zone before breaking back inside toward the post. The route makes it difficult for any defensive back, let alone a rookie, to stand up in coverage.
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Still, Johnson stuck with his man, mirroring Agnew as the wideout ran what Jaguars passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend described as a "great route," before picking the ball off 40 yards down the field.
That opened up Townsend's eyes.
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"When you see a guy do that, being around the game as long as I have, I was like, 'That's natural,'" Townsend told the Times-Union Thursday, noting that while he wants to take credit for Johnson's play as a coach, he simply can't.
"That's nothing that the coach can make you do, that's something that the Lord gave him. When I saw that, that's when you knew he had an opportunity to be a great player."
'Student of the game': Forced out of action early, Johnson sat back and soaked up knowledge
Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) dances around during the warm up period during training camp.
Though he was drafted at the top of the fifth round, pick No. 160, Johnson entered the draft out of Texas A&M as a highly-touted defensive back prospect, potentially being selected in the top 100 with plenty of first-round projections .
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When his name didn't get called, Johnson admitted that it put a bit of a chip on his shoulder , but his confidence never wavered.
"I just feel like it put that much hunger into me," Johnson said in May. "God works in mysterious ways, and this is how it happened. I'm blessed to be here and I'm going to go out here and prove myself now."
Johnson worked hard at his craft in the offseason and training camp, becoming one of the team's young standouts. But just before the regular season was set to begin, the rookie suffered a hamstring injury that lingered through the first month of games.
Again, the young defensive back didn't sulk and lower his head. Instead, he redirected his attention to what he could do: study, prepare and soak up as much knowledge as he could.
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With 13 years of extensive playing experience and another 13 years of coaching in the NFL, learning from Townsend wasn't a bad deal for the rookie. Neither was learning from veterans like Tyson Campbell , Rayshawn Jenkins , Darious Williams , Tre Herndon and Andre Cisco , all of which have started and played multiple years in the league.
"You want to be out there, you want to be able to show what you can do, especially in your rookie year," Johnson said on Wednesday. "But I had a lot of veterans [saying] 'stay down, keep working hard, recover, because when you get back you don't want to let it linger, you have to be 100 percent.'"
If it were up to Johnson, he says he'd have come back earlier, risking a setback, but playing nonetheless .However, having vets around him to keep him grounded and give him knowledge provided him with the patience to get back when he was completely ready.
Johnson utilized the same mindset when he wasn't playing much on defense at the start of the year, relegated to primarily special teams for the first few games upon his return.
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It's a mindset the team, including Townsend, preaches.
"We want to be students of the game and football players. You're not just a safety, you're a DB [defensive back] and so you need to learn every aspect of every technique that we play," said Townsend.
"And if you can master that then you can apply it to when you're on the field, you should be able to play."
Johnson says the team's defensive backs room welcomed him with open arms and that it's easy for the rookie to ask questions whenever he has them, "it's been a blessing," he added.
"I'm with a great group of guys. If they see something that I don't see, they'll let me know or if I have any questions, I have no hesitation of going to anybody on the field or the sidelines at practice or I could just call or text if I see something while watching film," he added.
Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) celebrates an interception with cornerback Tre Herndon (37), linebacker Devin Lloyd (33) and the defensive line on Sunday against Carolina.
During that time when he was out or not playing as much, Johnson stayed active and attentive during meetings and through whatever playing or practice time he was able to receive.
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"He had an opportunity to take a look and learn, but when he was playing before he was injured, he was playing well. And he was able to see what he could do. While he was injured, he still was working at his craft. It wasn't physically [working], but it was mentally and when he came back, he was ready to go," Townsend said.
'Natural ability': Johnson paves path to playing time with physicality, skills
Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) runs onto the field before the Dec. 31 game against the Panthers.
Throughout camp and the preseason, Johnson took reps at safety, but it didn't take too long for him to make the switch down to nickel cornerback. Johnson took reps in the slot for a couple of games before filling in for an injured Tre Herndon in Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens .
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In the two weeks following, Johnson has doubled his slot reps, accounting for 26 in the last two games, according to Pro Football Focus. He initially received the bulk of his slot reps in Week 13, steadily increasing in snaps since.
It's another switch for Johnson's roller coaster of a rookie campaign. Initially switching from a variation of nickel at Texas A&M to safety with the Jaguars, Johnson has worked his way, playing inside and closer to the line of scrimmage.
Beginning his career at safety was something Johnson embraced, and it was easy for Jaguars coaches to put him there, especially given his size at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, boasting 32 1/8-inch arms. Once Jaguars coaches got their hands on him, though, the possibilities of what they could do with him expanded greatly.
"You get the interviews and you see him as a safety," said Townsend. "You watch him move on tape before he gets here and you see his athletic ability, but then when you get a chance to put your hands on him [and] you see how well he moves. [He's] a different type of body that can play inside and that's always good for us."
Antonio Johnson runs through drills at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during the NFL Combine in March.
Townsend explained that nowadays, athletes like Johnson are more commonplace. With the growth of 7-on-7 ball, players are learning the various defensive back positions at an accelerated rate.
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"To have guys that understand and can get it and understand how to win and leverage, it just helps," said Johnson.
Townsend preaches to his defensive backs room that he doesn't care what position a player is, he should be able to go play wherever. That's a mindset Townsend has held since he entered the league in 1998.
"I could play corner, nickel, dime, safety when I played, so I just know that helped me make my career as long as it can and as a teacher I want them to have a career however they want," he said. "One way I do know how [you can] have that career you want is to learn every position or learn every technique. If you learn every technique, you can play wherever."
Townsend credited Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell for giving the defense flexibility to where there's some carryover so players can learn and play fast.
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Johnson has taken advantage of that and has used some of what he learned at safety, bringing that knowledge down to the slot.
"Being the safety, you got to know what's going on and make checks, so I feel like it made it easier to transition to the nickel spot," Johnson said.
Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) celebrates his late fourth quarter interception with linebacker Josh Allen (41) and linebacker Devin Lloyd (33). The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL Sunday, December 31, 2023. The Jaguars went in at the half with a 9 to 0 lead and came away with a 26 to 0 victory over the Panthers.
That's allowed Johnson and Jacksonville's defense to thrive, with the DB playing closer to the line of scrimmage and taking advantage of NFL offenses that deploy more RPO (run-pass-option), bubble and run-game plays on first and second down.
"When you can get a bigger body out there to help in that part of the game, it helps you as a defense. A lot of the time, it's tough to get a bigger body out there and stay [in] base because you lose some of your coverage ability," Townsend explained. "With a guy like AJ [ Antonio Johnson ], you're able to still do it all."
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Thus far this season, Johnson has accounted for 15 total tackles, three pass breakouts, a forced fumble and two interceptions in just 149 total defensive snaps. Since Week 12, Johnson grades out as the 18th best defensive back (safety or cornerback) with a grade of 79.2, per PFF, among just corners, he's 11th.
His skills have yet to be fully realized.
"He's balling, man. He's got size, length, natural ability. He's always open to learn. If there's anything he sees and he asks if we see it differently, he's open to taking from any of the older guys to get better," Herndon told the Times-Union Wednesday when asked about Johnson.
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Herndon and Johnson get together after practice sometimes to work on things. They'll also talk before, during and after practice sometimes to talk about what they see on film.
"It's cool to see something that we may work on during the week, come alive in the game and like I said, he's always open for new information, trying to better his game," said Herndon.
The veteran has liked what he's seen from Johnson, explaining that he's good enough to cover quick receiver, but big enough to be stout in the run game.
"He's pretty much able to do everything we need him to," he said.
Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) rushes for yards after his interception on Sunday against the Panthers, as Carolina tight end Tommy Tremble (82) pursues.
With a few games under his belt, Johnson's confidence continues to rise.
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"The confidence for sure is there. [I have] a few games played under my belt. Just being comfortable where I'm at and each day, each week coming in harder and stronger, just proving myself. That's gonna be the motto," Johnson said. "Whenever I'm out there, I'm gonna go hard, play fast, be physical, keep proving myself."
Though Jacksonville's season is getting ready to end soon within the next week or longer if they make the playoffs, Johnson's career is just getting started.
As long as Johnson can maintain learning as a pro, Townsend said, he'll be fine. Physically, Johnson has everything he needs.
"It's the mental part that separates you to make you great," said Townsend.
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Plus, he still has that chip on his shoulder.
"Mentality-wise, it's always stayed the same. The first thing [I said] when I talked to the media after I got drafted was I had a chip on my shoulder. So, I go out each week, each day, honestly, just to just prove myself," said Johnson.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Rookie standout Antonio Johnson makes splashes for Jaguars' defense
