Getty Roderick Johnson worked out with the Vikings on Wednesday.
Since starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. opted to sit out training camp due to a contract dispute with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chiefs have several options on the roster to replace him. Those options include, but are not limited to, promoting Geron Christian, sliding rookie Darrian Kinnard over from right tackle, or sliding left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle and having veteran Nick Allegretti start at left guard.
Instead, Kansas City has taken a different approach at left tackle that no one saw coming.
Once training camp was underway, it was fifth-year tackle Roderick Johnson that was taking the majority of first-team reps at left tackle in St. Joseph, Missouri.
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“Third day in a row that Roderick Johnson is starting LT with the first team at #Chiefs training camp,” Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire wrote on July 29. “Feels more like the job (in place of Orlando Brown Jr.) is his to lose rather a rotation as Andy Reid suggested.”
Third day in a row that Roderick Johnson is starting LT with the first team at #Chiefs training camp. Feels more like the job (in place of Orlando Brown Jr.) is his to lose rather a rotation as Andy Reid suggested.
What to Know About Johnson
Johnson was a fifth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2017 out of Florida State. He would not play in a single game for the Browns, though, as he was placed on injured reserve at the start of the 2017 regular season and was waived the following offseason.
From there, Johnson spent three seasons with the Houston Texans, playing in 29 total games for them and starting six of those games, according to Pro Football Reference. He then joined Kansas City’s practice squad in January of 2022 during the team’s playoff run and signed a Reserve/Futures contract with the Chiefs after the season.
While Johnson wasn’t the projected replacement for Brown this summer, him being the temporary starting left tackle isn’t all that significant, assuming Brown returns for the regular season.
In the meantime, Johnson will hold the role of protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blindside unless he proves he’s not capable of doing such.
Joe Thuney Impressed With Johnson
Speaking with the media at training camp, Thuney expressed his thoughts on how Johnson has performed thus far in training camp.
“Yeah, for sure, [Johnson’s] doing really well,” Thuney said on July 27. “Digging in the playbook and communicating a lot. Just trying to be on the same page every play. You know, he’s a great guy. Yeah, so he’s just trying to get better every day.”
Head coach Andy Reid briefly detailed the decision to plug Johnson in as the first-team left tackle.
“[Johnson] was productive in the offseason, so coming in, we thought he could help out,” Reid said. “We’ll just see how it rolls.”
Reid hinted early on in training camp that Thuney was the potential plan B in the event that Brown did not report to training camp. But the defending AFC West champions have clearly gone in a different direction at left tackle. Despite that, Thuney says he’s up for whatever the coaches need him to do.
“You know, whatever the coaches want me to play, I’m willing to play,” Thuney explained. “I just like to play football, it doesn’t matter where. Just want to be out there on the field with the guys. That’s kind of the bottom line. Anywhere, I just want to play.”