The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t get the result they wanted in their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, but Emmett Johnson made sure his first NFL outing stood out.
The fifth-round rookie was one of the bright spots in the loss, finishing as Kansas City’s leading rusher with 59 yards on 12 carries. He also caught all three of the passes thrown his way, giving the Chiefs a quick look at a back who did more than just take handoffs. Johnson was never expected to walk in and claim the starting job; the idea was for him to settle into a backup or third-string role and grow from there.
What he flashed on the field suggested there could be more to come. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson forced 10 missed tackles, the most of any player this weekend.
No one else got past five. For a Chiefs team trying to rebuild its backfield, that kind of debut has to be encouraging.
Kansas City’s ground game hasn’t been a strength in recent years, and Johnson could end up helping change that.
After the game, Johnson talked about what his first taste of NFL action has been like.
"It's just football at the end of the day. Obviously, it's a little bit faster and guys are a lot more talented and stuff like that.
But at the end of the day, it's football. I feel like I've adapted well to the NFL and I feel like I'll be a better NFL player," Johnson said.
"Yeah, I've been grinding every single day, just focusing on what Coach Bieniemy and Coach DeMarco [Murray] are telling me, learning from it and growing every single day."
It was only one preseason game, and that matters. Still, for young players, showing something is always better than showing nothing.
Johnson gave the Chiefs a glimpse of the kind of runner he was at Nebraska, and he made a strong case that he should have gone earlier in the draft. If this carries into the regular season, Kansas City may have found a real steal.
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