Where Jaguars Safety Stands Entering Year 2

The Jacksonville Jaguars have invested on the defensive side of the ball. Second-year safety Antonio Johnson continues to make a positive impression.

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) yells before a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-7. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jacksonville Jaguars have invested heavily in the defensive side of the ball over the last few seasons via the NFL Draft and free agency. Some moves have worked out, some have not, and the jury is still out on other moves the Jaguars’ front office has made.

Second-year safety Antonio Johnson is one of the players on the Jaguars' roster who the coaching staff hopes to see more from this upcoming season. 

Johnson has begun developing into a professional on and off the field after being drafted by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Nielsen noted the safety’s growth over the offseason, noting Johnson has started to pick up on what it means to be in the National Football League.

“I’ll say this: he's really learned how to be a pro,” Nielsen said. “You see him around the building, you see him doing the extra things, the extra meetings, coming in, the right questions, things like that. Not just, ‘I show up at this time, and I leave at this time.’ He's really grown into that.”

Nielsen says Johnson has worked hard on fundamentals and technique this offseason. He credits the Jaguars’ position coaches with helping Johnson and others perfect their craft, and he is excited to see the defense’s growth as a whole when the season kicks off in just a few days. 

"Kris [Defensive Backs Coach Kris Richard] and Cory [Defensive Assistant/Cornerbacks Coach Cory Robinson] have done a great job kind of nurturing that and helping him along the way, 'Hey, try it like this, do it like this,' coaching and fundamentals and technique like this but, 'Hey, spend a little extra time watching this cut-up.' That's helped him mature and grow, and things like that," Nielsen said.

"So now the process is get on your routine. They've talked to him, get on your routine in the season. What's your Mondays? All the Mondays look the same, and the Tuesdays and the Wednesdays, and work all the way up until Sunday, until game day. So that's been the biggest thing. It's been cool to see the maturity. He just continues to mature and get better. I think that's what you're seeing on the field."

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