KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There was more to the Kansas City Chiefs’ trade for defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. behind the scenes than just the chance to add a long, tall veteran cornerback to the roster.
A key injury and the team's familiarity may have prompted Kansas City to pull the trigger Monday, sending a conditional seventh-round pick in 2024 to Houston for Johnson.
General Manager Brett Veach said Tuesday during a video conference with reporters that cornerback Rashad Fenton was rehabbing from offseason surgery.
“I think he had a shoulder (repaired),” Veach said. “... It’s something that I think he’ll be ready for training camp, but we certainly want to get some guys out here and be ready to roll, be in position to kind of know what we have.”
Fenton had a career season in 2021. He started eight games, recorded 49 tackles, was credited with seven passes defended and forced a fumble — all career-best marks for the 2019 sixth-round pick.
If Fenton’s rehab extends beyond the start of training camp, Johnson provides a veteran presence outside and, at the very least, gives the Chiefs quality depth at a position of need.
Johnson had three interceptions with Houston last season and finished with 55 tackles.
He made 19 starts in three seasons at the Texans, who drafted Johnson in the second round in 2019.
Veach also revealed that the Chiefs considered adding Johnson, who will play cornerback for in Kansas City, via trade last fall, so there has been interest for a while.
“There was a little bit of dialogue during the trade deadline,” Veach said. “Trade deadlines are tricky, because — when you’re not with the team in the offseason, during training camp — the playbook and that cohesiveness is not there.”
But former Kansas City linebackers coach Matt House knew Johnson from their time together at the University of Kentucky, so the team had done its homework.
Johnson became frustrated with being bounced around the secondary — from cornerback to safety and back again — by the Texans, who were willing to shop him again after adding cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and safety Jalen Pitre in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Johnson played the last three seasons with safety Justin Reid, the centerpiece free-agent addition of the Chiefs’ offseason defensive rebuild.
Veach said the Chiefs feel comfortable with Reid, Juan Thornhill, second-round pick Bryan Cook and Deon Bush on the depth chart at safety, so Johnson will compete for a role among the overhauled corners group.
“We have some corners we like, but we also like big, long press corners,” Veach said. “We know (Johnson) can press, we know he’s physical. He’ll come in here and compete.”
Kansas City moved up in the first round last week to draft Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie and feels comfortable with its two returning starters, Fenton and slot corner L’Jarius Sneed.
The Chiefs still have Deandre Baker and Dicaprio Bootle, signed Luq Barcoo during the offseason and drafted two other cornerbacks, Fayetteville State’s Joshua Williams in the fourth round and Washington State’s Jaylen Watson in the seventh round.
“We’ll have a ton of competition coming for those three, four, five spots,” Veach said.
