‘Asked him to do a lot.’ Why Dolphins CB Chris Johnson will play two positions
Miami Dolphins cornerback Chris Johnson has one of the most difficult jobs on the team.
Not only does the rookie have to adjust to the speed of the NFL, he has to do so while cross-training as an inside and outside cornerback.
“Coming here and actually learning the zone drops and different kind of coverages is not easy, but I’m getting it done,” Johnson said Thursday. “Coach [Jeff Hafley] being able to put me in that position says that her views me as a very important player.”
Luckily, the positions aren’t totally new for Johnson. The 2026 first-round pick played on the inside and outside while at San Diego State, something that initially intrigued Hafley, who called Johnson “one of my favorite guys in the draft.”
“He can win at all three [levels],” Hafley said, praising size, length and love for football. “He can take the ball away and he tackles and he’s aggressive and I love his play style and he can play inside.”
Hafley recently doubled down on the statement.
“We got to be careful overloading any young player, but we also have to get a feel for the players and see how much that they can handle,” Hafley said. “Quickly we’ve seen that Chris is capable of handling multiple positions, so you’ll see him on the inside, you’ll see him on the outside. He’ll be doing both.”
The nickel is far from an easy, one-size-fits-all position. As Hafley previously said, the requirements of the position are down dependent and based solely on his response, Johnson could fit the bill.
“That guy has got to have some size to him, and he’s got to be physical and he’s got to be tough,” Hafley said of the early down situations. “Chris has some of that, if you want to talk about Chris.”
And while Johnson could certainly have an inside role in the aforementioned packages, his value could more so be seen on the second-and-long situations or key downs.
“There are certain situations that are, second-and-7-plus, third-down situations where there’s more pass and you have to have a guy that can play in coverage,” Hafley said. “If you want to play man coverage, he’s got to be a guy that can cover slot defenders. If you’re playing certain teams that their best players are slot, now you’ve got to get a guy that can play the run and cover potentially one of the best receivers.”
Such detailed descriptions could only come from somebody who has a background with defensive backs. Hafley checks that box, yet his preference to solely watch the secondary can be a bit of disservice to the team now that he’s head coach. Still, he manages to drop a gem or two to Johnson and others.
“When I see him, I just see a guy who loves football,” Johnson said, later adding “He does try to keep an extra eye on the DBs or sitting with us in the meeting.”
As Johnson has gotten more comfortable, the playmaking ability has come to light, something that wasn’t quite noticeable in rookie minicamp and organized training activities. Case in point: Johnson has gotten quite a few pass breakups since the beginning of mandatory minicamp to the delight of his coaches.
“He’s done a really nice job,” Hafley said. “He is very instinctual. He sees the game very fast. He works really hard in the meeting rooms. He’s super athletic, has really good coverage ability. He’s been able to get his hand on the football and we’ve asked him to do a lot and he’s handled it very, very well, which is what I kind of told you maybe a week or two ago. We’ve thrown a lot on his plate and he’s responded and I’m really excited to continue to coach him.”
