A new chapter is opening for Nazeeh Johnson, and it comes with a familiar connection in Tennessee.
NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reported that the Titans have signed Johnson as the team gets ready to return to training camp under general manager Mike Borgonzi. For Johnson, it’s a fresh start after four seasons in Kansas City, where he went from late-round long shot to a useful piece in the Chiefs’ secondary and on special teams.
His latest contract year never really got off the ground. A shoulder injury in Kansas City’s second preseason game against Seattle sent him to injured reserve, and most of the regular season passed with him on the sideline. The Chiefs brought him back in late December, but his only game action came on special teams over two appearances.
That setback came on top of an even tougher one the year before. Johnson had already fought back from a torn ACL suffered in the 2023 preseason, an injury that wiped out his sophomore season.
He returned healthy and climbed back into the rotation in 2024, appearing in 16 games and starting six. He finished with 56 tackles, 3 pass deflections, and 1 sack.
Johnson’s path to sticking in Kansas City in the first place was no small thing. A late seventh-round pick in 2022, he made the roster even though four other rookie defensive backs from that same class also survived cutdown day. Special teams coach Dave Toub trusted him early, and Johnson ended up playing in 11 games as a rookie.
After his rookie deal expired, the free-agent market didn’t move quickly for him. While several of his draft classmates found new homes, Johnson waited.
Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson went to the Rams on the West Coast. Joshua Williams headed to Tennessee after following Borgonzi, a former Chiefs assistant GM.
Safety Bryan Cook landed a big payday from the Bengals.
Johnson did draw some interest earlier this summer, including a visit with the Philadelphia Eagles, but nothing came together then. Now he joins Williams in Titans camp, with a chance to fit into an AFC team that Borgonzi clearly believes can keep moving forward.
Across his four regular seasons, Johnson has 66 tackles, 3 deflections, and 1 sack in 29 games. He also has six more postseason appearances from Kansas City’s championship runs.
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