CB Chris Johnson Met With Jets, Packers, Bucs, Cowboys, Jags, Chiefs
San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson has flown up draft boards throughout the pre-draft process. He is now considered a borderline first-round pick after visits and/or meetings with several teams.
Among them are the Jets, Packers, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Jaguars and Chiefs, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. They all have various needs at cornerback, save for the Buccaneers
After trading Sauce Gardner last year, the Jets now have Brandon Stephens, Nahshon Wright, and Jarvis Brownlee leading their cornerback room. 2025 third-rounder Azareye’h Thomas is expected to take on a bigger role this season, but the team still lacks high-upside talent in the long term. Thomas is also the only corner in that group that is signed through 2027.
The Packers have Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine entering the final years of their contract, creating a major need at the cornerback position. Benjamin St-Juste is signed through 2027, but none of the team’s other cornerbacks profile as starting options.
In Jacksonville, the Jaguars have Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones, and Jourdan Lewis. Brown and Jones are both younger and could be long-term starters, but Lewis is 31 years old with two years left on his deal. The team also lacks quality depth behind their top three.
Like the Jets, the Chiefs traded away their star CB1 recently, leaving a gaping hole in their defense. Kansas City took fliers on Kaiir Elam and Kader Kohou to fill the cornerback room, but neither is a surefire starter in 2026. Kristian Fulton is also entering the final year of his contract. 2025 third-rounder Nohl Williams impressed as a rookie and should be able to lock down a starting job, but the rest of the Chiefs’ cornerback rotation remains murky.
The Bucs, by contrast, are set at cornerback with Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison penciled in on the boundary and Jacob Parrish manning the slot. Morrison, though, is an injury risk, and Tampa Bay has little proven depth behind its top young trio. That seems like a spot to make an inexpensive veteran addition rather than a high draft pick, though, seemingly making Johnson a luxury pick with other long-term needs to fill.
Latest On Raiders’ Second-Round Plans; Team To Meet With CB Chris Johnson
There is little doubt the Raiders will use the first overall pick in the draft on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. On the other hand, there is far less certainty surrounding their second-round choice (No. 36 overall). Wide receiver and right tackle are among the areas the Raiders could address with that selection, Matt Miller of ESPN hears.
While veteran free agent pickup Kirk Cousins may be new head coach Klint Kubiak‘s starting QB to open 2026, the Raiders will expect Mendoza to be their long-term answer. Drafting either a receiver or an offensive lineman in Round 2 would be an attempt to provide more help for the prized signal-caller.
As a rookie general manager in 2025, John Spytek spent second- and fourth-round picks on receivers Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton. Those two remain unproven after combining for a meager 30 catches and no touchdowns as rookies. Tre Tucker led Raiders wideouts in receptions (57), yards (696) and touchdowns (five) last season, but he is scheduled to reach free agency next March. While the Raiders inked ex-Viking Jalen Nailor to a three-year, $35MM contract in free agency, he has never reached the 30-catch mark in a season.
If the Raiders pick up another newcomer for their receiving corps in the second round, Alabama’s Germie Bernard may be a realistic option. The Raiders visited with the Las Vegas native last month. Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Bernard as the seventh-best receiver in this year’s class. It is less likely anyone from Brugler’s top six – Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson, KC Concepcion and Omar Cooper Jr. (Mendoza’s college teammate) and Denzel Boston – will be available to the Raiders at 36.
Turning to right tackle, DJ Glaze has been the Raiders’ primary option since former GM Tom Telesco took him in the third round of the 2024 draft. Glaze is coming off his first 17-start season, though Pro Football Focus ranked his play a bottom-tier 60th among 78 tackles. Meanwhile, soon-to-be 31-year-old left tackle Kolton Miller missed all but four games as a result of a high ankle sprain and hairline fracture. Thanks in part to their issues at tackle, the Raiders allowed a league-worst 64 sacks. Geno Smith took a beating in his lone season as the Raiders’ quarterback. They obviously want better protection for Cousins and Mendoza.
The Raiders have vastly improved their offensive line this offseason with the signing of premier center Tyler Linderbaum to a record-setting pact in free agency. Someone like Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor could be on their radar if they want to continue strengthening their line in the second round.
Although offense may be the more likely path with the Raiders’ second selection, they are still putting in work on high-level defensive prospects. The team has scheduled a visit with San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson, per Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports. Brugler ranks Johnson as the 24th-best prospect in this class. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com is less bullish, but he still places Johnson 40th.
Johnson, who picked off four passes in 2025 and earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors, could be the Raiders’ choice if they go defense in the second round. He would join Eric Stokes and 2025 third-rounder Darien Porter as the Raiders’ top boundary corners. Johnson also has experience in the slot. The Raiders added veteran slot corner Taron Johnson in a trade with the Bills last month, but he is nearing 30 and coming off back-to-back injury-limited seasons.
Cornerback Chris Johnson To Retire
Former NFL cornerback Chris Johnson has decided to retire, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Johnson, 35 next month, last played in 2012, when he won a Super Bowl as a member of the Ravens secondary.
Johnson, a Louisville product, was 2003 seventh-round pick by the Packers. He bounced around the league for four seasons, spending time with the Rams and Chiefs, before landing with the Raiders in 2007. He experienced his most success while in Oakland, beginning as a reserve and special-teamer before starting 15 games in 2009. Johnson ultimately signed an $11.3MM extension with the Raiders, and remained with the team through the 2011 season.
After joining the Ravens in 2012, Johnson was pressed into duty following injuries to Baltimore’s top corners, Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith. He started one game that season, and played in the Ravens’ AFC Championship victory over the Patriots. He was released in August 2013.