Evin Ksiezarczyk

Lonnie Johnson Jr. had a brief tenure with the Texans, and his stint with the Chiefs has now ended before his first regular season contest in Kansas City. Per a team announcement, the corner is among the players being waived by the Chiefs as rosters are cut to 85. 

Johnson, 26, was a second-round pick of the Texans in 2019. He struggled as a rookie, surrendering four touchdowns and a passer rating over 111 in coverage. Despite starting fewer games (five) in his second season with the team, he logged a higher snap percentage. The 2020 season saw improvement in terms of coverage, and his highest career PFF grade, 65.5.

His playing time dropped again last season, though. The Kentucky alum recorded the first three interceptions of his NFL career, but was unable to secure a full-time starting spot and was again rated very poorly by PFF. This offseason, Houston traded him to Kansas City for a conditional seventh-round pick, a disappointing end to his time there.

The CB room has seen plenty of changes this spring for the Chiefs. The team used three draft picks on the position, including No. 21 on Trent McDuffie. They parted ways with Deandre Baker last week, another young corner who has struggled to find his footing in the NFL. That move, coupled with today’s, speaks to the Chiefs’ commitment to their homegrown players on the backend.

In addition to Johnson, Kansas City is waiving receivers Omar Bayless and Gary Jennings, along with offensive tackle Evin Ksiezarczyk. They will now look to find a new NFL home as rosters continue to be trimmed in the build-up to the season.