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Despite exceeding expectations throughout training camp and the preseason, New York Giants rookie safety Alex Johnson has mostly flown under the radar since joining the organization as an undrafted prospect in late April.
Big Blue has three safety locks to make the roster, after all, and the fourth man in the room was considered a near-guarantee until a recent knee injury clouded his status. That player is 2023 seventh rounder Gervarrius Owens — who showed noticeable signs of improvement before his recent injury.
Having said that, the NFL rarely waits on bubble candidates and with the roster cutdown just around the corner on August 27, that puts Owens’ place on the 53 in doubt.
“Here’s a sleeper for you, especially with Gervarrius Owens still sidelined with a knee injury. Can the undrafted rookie from UCLA steal a spot and be the fourth safety with Jason Pinnock, Tyler Nubin and Dane Belton?” NorthJersey.com beat reporter Art Stapleton wrote on August 23, naming Johnson as one of six players with “the most to gain” in the preseason finale.
“Johnson has versatility and has been around the ball a lot this summer,” Stapleton reasoned. “If he comes out and plays well against the [New York] Jets on Saturday, don’t be surprised if he makes a push to stick on the 53.”
Alex Johnson Has Quietly Climbed Giants’ Depth Chart at Safety This Summer
Johnson was a ball hawk at UCLA, leading the Pac-12 with five interceptions in 2023. That nose for the football appears to have carried over at the NFL level so far, as the rookie has come away with several takeaways throughout camp.
On August 1, for example, the “Talkin’ Giants” podcast shared video of two Johnson interceptions in one practice.
Later in the summer on August 18, Stapleton started to seriously take notice of Johnson, relaying that he has shown “good instincts” that might be worth developing on the practice squad or 53-man roster. The youngster has continued his climb from there.
According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson has appeared in 92 preseason snaps on the defensive side and another 12 on special teams. With injuries mounting at the safety position, you might say one of the rookie’s most important abilities has been his availability — but that’s not to imply he hasn’t produced.
PFF has awarded Johnson with high marks as a tackler so far, crediting him with eight solo tackles and four assists compared to zero missed tackles. Four of those tackles were also considered key defensive “stops” resulting in a failure for the opposing offense.
In coverage, Johnson has only been targeted four times despite his high snap count — which is typically a good thing. He has allowed three out of those four targets to be caught, but he’s only given up 15 receiving yards in coverage with just five total yards after the catch.
PFF has averaged out a solid 80.2 passer rating against for Johnson through two outings.
Alex Johnson Might Need to Show More of an Impact on Special Teams to Secure Roster Spot With Giants
As Stapleton mentioned, Johnson has displayed a good deal of versatility this summer. PFF noted 42 snaps at strong safety (BOX alignment), 34 snaps at free safety, 13 snaps in the slot as a nickel, 2 as an outside cornerback and 1 near the defensive line.
That flexibility certainly ups his roster chances, but Johnson will also have to show more of an impact on special teams if he’s going to make the 53 as a backup safety.
It’s unclear if the rookie has only played 12 special teams snaps because of the lack of healthy bodies at safety over the past couple of weeks. That’s a legitimate possibility though, considering Johnson’s 92 snaps on defense.
PFF graded the UDFA’s special teams impact as a 67.8 against the Detroit Lions and a 65.9 against the Houston Texans. For the record, both of those marks are considered above average, although Johnson hasn’t really stood out in this regard.
The rookie has also logged time on four out of the six major special teams units, including kick return, punt return, punt return coverage and field goal block. Needless to say, proving he can contribute to these areas will be important when final decisions are made come Tuesday.
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