The Las Vegas Raiders turned their attention to bolstering one more needed area Monday. New general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll addressed the secondary in the evening hours of NFL free agency.
The franchise is bringing in former Carolina Panthers defender Lonnie Johnson Jr., with Fox NFL insider Jordan Schultz revealing the move. Las Vegas makes the addition on the first day of the league’s legal tampering period.
Vegas spent most of its last 24 hours taking care of the defensive trenches. The Raiders reunited with Malcolm Koonce on a one-year, $12 million contract. Vegas also brought back defensive tackle Adam Butler, who agreed to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million in a Sunday move.
The Johnson signing also comes on the same day another former Panther heads to Sin City.
Ex-Panthers defender set to bolster Raiders secondary
The 6-foot-2, 213-pound Johnson joins Jeremy Chinn in heading to the Raiders as past Carolina starters. Chinn agreed to his Raiders deal three hours before Johnson came over. Chinn and Johnson, however, never crossed paths in Charlotte — as Chinn’s last team is the Washington Commanders.
Johnson played in only 15 games with one start in his lone campaign at Charlotte. He grabbed seven tackles with six solo stops. However, he brings a past history of grabbing 70+ tackles.
Johnson once piled 76 tackles while with the Houston Texans. That 2020 output also included 56 solo stops with three quarterback hits off cornerback blitz calls.
He tallied 172 tackles through three seasons in Houston. Johnson stayed in the AFC South by joining the Tennessee Titans in 2022 — settling for only 11 tackles and eight solo stops.
The 29-year-old is bringing experience into a DB room needing it moving forward. The Raiders watched former second round find Tre’von Moehrig leave via free agency. Ironically, the former Raiders safety starter Moehrig landed with the Panthers on Monday.
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