Steve Spagnuolo Assesses Nazeeh Johnson's Recent Performance for Chiefs

After Nazeeh Johnson led the Chiefs' defense in tackles in Week 10, Steve Spagnuolo thinks he's making solid progress in year No. 3.

Nov 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs safety Nazeeh Johnson (13) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

As has been the case at various other positions on both sides of the ball, the Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback room is relying on its depth now more than ever. Week 10 was no different, especially with Jaylen Watson on the injured reserve list with an ankle issue.

Due to an injury to Nazeeh Johnson, it was Joshua Williams who initially got a brief crack at starting alongside Trent McDuffie in the secondary. Johnson is back now, though, and last Sunday's win over the Denver Broncos saw him make some progress in certain aspects of the game.

First and foremost, the 2022 seventh-round draft pick logged double-digit tackles for the first time with a 10-stop performance. Six of those were solo efforts, and he also had a sack in the process. Johnson's 52 defensive snaps played doubled his previous best, making that essentially the best chance Kansas City has had to evaluate his growth.

While nothing was perfect, the tackling and timeliness of Johnson's outing stood out to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. He thinks it can be a stepping stone as Week 11's game versus the Buffalo Bills approaches.

"I thought he played a real solid game," Spagnuolo said. "He had the one sack there that was a – he played that really well because you don’t always make those, and he did, and we needed a negative play at that particular time. I was happy to see the way that Nazeeh bounced back and played pretty good.”

By far the biggest play of Johnson's day was his first-down sack of Denver quarterback Bo Nix. The loss of 17 yards put the Broncos' offense behind the sticks, seeing that possession end just a couple of plays later. According to rbsdm.com, the sack was a top-10 play from the game in terms of expected points added (-2.2 for the road team). That, combined with some contributions in run defense, made for perhaps Johnson's most active game as an NFL player.

The box score and advanced stats for Johnson's 176-snap sample at cornerback are mixed. On one hand, he's surrendered a completion on just 46.2% of his targets and boasts positive Pro Football Focus grades for run defense (67.9) and pass rushing (71.1). His 86.2 tackling grade is the fourth-highest among all corners this season. On the other hand, Johnson is credited with a 12.7 yards per completion mark and a 90.5 passer rating when targeted. When he loses, he loses. In the aforementioned Broncos game, he stumbled frequently and seemed to be unsure at times.

For now, the Chiefs are taking the good with the bad. Johnson is just eight games into this era of his career, as he spent 2022 as a special teams piece and last year was wiped out due to injury. Sideline reps and familiarity with the system are important, but he's still somewhat green as a prospect for the team. That can be both a good and bad thing – Week 10 may have summed it up perfectly.

Spagnuolo is satisfied with the 26-year-old's development, even if the entire puzzle isn't quite put together yet.

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