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The Washington Commanders only gave Danny Johnson a new two-year contract back in March, but the cornerback’s time with the team is already up. He’s been replaced by Kyu Blu Kelly, a fifth-round pick for the Baltimore Ravens in the 2023 NFL draft.
Both moves were confirmed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday, December 13.
Kelly was in demand, with NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reporting the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans were also keen.
The move shows head coach Ron Rivera has reacted to seeing his secondary torched for 157 yards and two touchdowns by Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill in Week 13. Johnson has become a fall guy, but he also struggled to build on stepping in for benched first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes earlier in the season.
Danny Johnson Couldn’t Build on Emmanuel Forbes’ Benching
Forbes was sent to the bench for Week 6’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Johnson stepped in and contributed to the 24-16 victory with an important pass breakup against tight end Kyle Pitts.
Getting his hands on the ball hasn’t been a problem for Johnson. He showcased those skills against the Cleveland Browns last season, on a play highlighted by film analyst Mark Bullock.
Unfortunately, plays like this one proved few and far between for Johnson. Instead, the former undrafted free agent allowed 16 completions from 22 targets and 13.6 yards per completion this season, according to Pro Football Reference.
Inconsistency in coverage was only part of Johnson’s problems. Injuries also doomed the 28-year-old’s chances to stick in Washington.
He suffered a rotator cuff problem during joint practices with the Ravens back in August. Johnson also dealt with a fractured patella as a rookie.
While he never quite made the grade with the Commanders, Johnson did at least put more on tape than the cornerback who’s replacing him.
Kyu Blu Kelly Gets 4th Chance to Prove Himself
The Commanders will be Kelly’s fourth team since being drafted 157th overall by the Ravens back in April. He rates as a rare misstep from the usually draft savvy Ravens, who chose Kelly 20 picks ahead of wide receiver Puka Nacua, who has been a dominant rookie with the Rams.
While Nacua’s made an instant transition to life in the pros, Kelly has undergone brief stints with the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. If he’s going to get off a practice squad and contribute, Kelly will need to turn the clock back to when he regularly made plays for Stanford.
Kelly showed genuine ball-hawk traits by breaking up 17 passes during his final two seasons at Palo Alto, per Sports Reference. Those traits haven’t shown up at the NFL level yet, but the Commanders saw what Kelly could do when he made this key tackle on running back Derrick Gore to preserve the Ravens’ historic winning streak in preseason, per PFF’s Steve Palazzolo.
The fact Kelly garnered interest from two other teams before the Commanders won their claim also hints at the dormant talent waiting to be awakened. Rivera needs all the able bodies he can get for a secondary allowing a league-high 8.1 yards per attempt.
Kelly’s not going to fix that problem by himself, but he should earn the chance to compete amid an uninspiring rotation headlined by veterans Benjamin St-Juste and Kendall Fuller.
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