Lonnie Johnson Jr., safety for the Las Vegas Raiders, is poised to make his season debut during Thursday night”s game against the Denver Broncos. Johnson suffered a broken right leg in a training camp scrimmage on August 2 at Allegiant Stadium, which sidelined him for the start of the season.
After returning to practice on October 27, Johnson has been activated off injured reserve, allowing him to join his teammates in a challenging short week following their narrow overtime loss to Jacksonville, 30-29, on Sunday.
“It”s been a long time for me,” Johnson shared on Wednesday. “Ain”t nothing short, but it”s shorter for them. Just getting mentally prepared for it. I”ve got the fresh legs, obviously.”
Expected to be utilized primarily in nickel packages alongside fellow safeties Isaiah Pola-Mao and Jeremy Chinn, Johnson noted the versatility within their group. “We”re all interchangeable,” he explained. “I can play nickel and Chinn can go to safety or Pola-Mao can go to nickel and vice versa. We can all move around and it”s not too much.”
In his seventh NFL season, Johnson hopes to solidify his role with the Raiders after previously playing for four different organizations. Coach Pete Carroll expressed enthusiasm about Johnson”s return, stating, “We”ve got to get him back out there. It”s been quite a while for him, so this will be his first full-speed live action. We”ll look after him and make sure we”re monitoring him well to see how he”s handling things, but we”re really excited to have him back. It”s unfortunate for him it”s a short week, but in the coming weeks, I expect him to be a big factor.”
