Longtime Kansas City Chief linebacker Derrick Johnson has found a new home, but won’t be changing divisions. Johnson has become the newest member of the Oakland Raiders, per Michael Silver of NFL Network.
The Raiders have agreed to terms with former Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson @nflnetwork @AroundTheNFL
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) May 4, 2018
Though Johnson doesn’t have the highest public profile in the NFL, he certainly qualifies as a guy who fans will take a little while getting used to seeing in a new uniform. The linebacker was drafted by Kansas City out of Texas in 2005 – he was the 15th pick in the first round – and has spent all 13 of his professional seasons with the Chiefs.
This will be Johnson’s age-36 season, but obviously, Oakland thinks he still has some gas left in the tank. The Raiders were looking to add a linebacker, and Johnson fills that hole.
With Raiders expected to sign Derrick Johnson, as @MikeSilver noted, they now have cancelled Sunday’s previously scheduled visit with former Texans’ LB Brian Cushing.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 4, 2018
Thus far, Johnson has been remarkably dependable. In 13 seasons, he’s played in 13 or more games in every season except for his injury-plagued 2014 campaign, in which he only played a single game.
Derrick Johnson has made four Pro Bowls and been named to two AP All-Pro teams (in 2011 he was selected to the first team; in 2015 he made the second team). He has 938 career tackles (with 213 assists) and 27.5 sacks. He also has 14 interceptions during his time in the NFL.
In 2012, Johnson had a career-high 110 tackles but has trended down since 2015. Maybe a change of scenery is what the veteran linebacker needs to see an uptick in production. It remains to be seen exactly how the Raiders will use him, but in the past, Johnson has lined up as an outside linebacker on either the right or left side. That versatility was probably a big selling point for Oakland.
