ALAMEDA – Raiders cornerback Isaiah Johnson lost valuable development time during his rookie season through no fault of his own. It was stolen from an inadvertent knee to the head by teammate Marquel Lee in his first preseason game, where Johnson suffered a concussion and a facial fracture that put his professional career on hold.
He didn't play or practice again during the preseason and was placed on injured reserve right after the 53-man roster was set. That final act gave Johnson belief that the entire season was not lost.
The Raiders planned to designate him for return near midseason, when he was healthy and able to contribute on defense and special teams. Defensive contributions will be harder without nine weeks practice and playing time, especially for a career receiver with just two seasons experience at cornerback, but Johnson isn't bitter about that.
He applied proper perspective to his downtime and set to handle this setback as best he could.
"I feel like everything happens for a reason," Johnson said Monday. "I believe in marathons, not sprints. Everybody has a time and place for something to happen. My time just wasn't then. When I got hurt, it didn't really destroy me mentally. I knew there were steps to take to get where I want to go. I used it as a learning experience."
That wasn't always easy. Johnson was merely watching others practice and play, trying to learn conceptually without an ability to apply it on a practice field.
"I'm going to be honest. It's really hard sitting in meetings, watching tape that you're not on," Johnson said. "After a while you mature and learn how to be a pro. Once you do that, you watch all that film and start applying it to yourself, so when you come back [to practice], you can use that knowledge. I kind of felt that today. I found myself applying some of the tools I learned during the six weeks I wasn't playing."
Sports
Johnson started practicing on Monday, opening a 21-day window for the Raiders to activate him or place him on season-ending injured reserve. Johnson expects activation when after he's eligible to play after eight weeks on injured reserve.
He'll have nine regular-season games left if all goes to plan, offering plenty of time to accomplish this year's primary objective.
"My only goal is to help the team win games," Johnson said. "That has always been the case, so I can do everything I set out to do. Whatever they need me to do, I'm going to come in and do it."
Johnson is a top-tier athlete perfectly built for press-man coverage, though some development was required and understandable for someone who took up the cornerback position as a junior at the University of Houston. The Raiders need cornerback depth with Daryl Worley moving into more of a hybrid role, with Nevin Lawson and Trayvon Mullen as options to pick up Worley's outside cornerback snaps when he roves across the defensive backfield. Johnson will be involved in that but should be an immediate contributor on special teams.
He was known as an excellent gunner in punt coverage and should give special teams a lift the moment he's eligible to play. That's a role he's ready for right away.
"I have always enjoyed playing special teams," Johnson said. "I feel like [special teams coordinator Rich] Bisaccia has a great system, and I feel like I contribute the moment he puts me back on the field. I'm trying to show the coaches that I'm ready to go. I know I've been out, but I'm working to come back."