3 most shocking omissions from the Commanders’ 53-man roster

2. Danny Johnson, CB

Johnson’s omission isn’t shocking based on his preseason performance, but it is shocking based on the coaching staff’s familiarity with him and the status of the cornerback room. At the end of the day, Johnson appeared in 42 games in four years, including 26 of 33 games since Ron Rivera took over in 2020.

With Corn Elder, another surprise, also getting the axe, the team’s cornerback room shrunk to Kendall Fuller, William Jackson, Benjamin St-Juste and Christian Holmes.

We expect Washington to claim a player or two on waivers, but it’s clear the staff wasn’t fond of how its depth CBs performed at camp and in the preseason.

Johnson was at the center of that in regard to the preseason. While the fifth-year cornerback showed well against the run (76.6 run-defense grade, per PFF), he was victimized early and often in coverage (40.6 coverage grade).

In three games, Johnson allowed eight catches on 10 targets for 169 yards, which averages out to a whopping 21.1 yards per reception. Despite his awful showing, the general consensus was he’d have a spot on the 53-man roster.