Raiders cornerback Isaiah Johnson making good use of offseason

The way Isaiah Johnson sees it, the football world is being tested as it deals with the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.

On trial is the dedication of NFL players who no longer have access to team facilities and may have to go an entire offseason without the benefit of organized team activities and minicamps to stay in shape and remain on track for the upcoming season.

At stake is the level of readiness of players upon being cleared to return to work.

Johnson, the soon-to-be second-year Raiders cornerback, is making sure he is among the players that wisely used their time in order to hit the ground running when football resumes.

That is as important to Johnson as anyone given how injuries cut short his rookie season. As soon as the call to return to work arrives, he wants to seize the opportunity to show the Raiders he can be a valuable piece to their defensive puzzle.

“I feel like everything happens for a reason,” Johnson said by phone this week from his offseason home in Houston. “And I believe the more professional you are, the more mature you are as a person and player, the better you’re going to deal with and handle this situation.”

For Johnson, that means continuing to lift and work out every day while remaining diligent in his rehabilitation from recent back surgery. But it also means breaking down as much film as he can in order to be as mentally prepared to return to work as he will be physically.

“My thing is, I’m going to be my best self each and every day, and my best self is being everything that my coaches and teammates can ever ask of me,” Johnson said.

As a fourth-round draft pick out of Houston, where he started his career as a wide receiver before switching to cornerback as a junior in 2017, Johnson was looked at last year as a young player who might need refining before blossoming into a quality NFL defensive back.

His rookie season was expected to complete that transition. But that plan suffered a major setback when the 6-foot-2 Johnson suffered a concussion and a nasty face injury during the Raiders’ first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams.

It meant Johnson began his rookie season on injured reserve and lost valuable developmental time. As one of two cornerbacks the Raiders drafted last year — the other was second-round pick Trayvon Mullen — the hope was both would develop into a young, rangy, physical, press-cover tandem.

That plan remains intact, especially now that Mullen has established himself as a starting-caliber cornerback. But the pause button had to be pushed on Johnson.

It was a frustrating setback, given the strides Johnson felt he was making before suffering the injury.

“I really believe I was having the camp that I wanted to have,” Johnson said. “I wanted to show people what I could do. … And just as all the pieces were coming together … out of nowhere, on the first play of your first NFL game, an injury. It was like..ahhhhhh.”

Johnson bided his time by throwing himself into the mental side of the game. It’s a part of the process that he already had made a priority, but the injury provided even more time to devote to it.

“That part of it was very beneficial, just being able to see things from a different perspective,” Johnson said. “It was like taking a step out of a player’s shoes and seeing the overall picture of things from a different angle.”

Johnson eventually returned in early November, but the biting back pain limited his effectiveness. He played through the issue over the final five games, getting 14 defensive snaps, before undergoing a minor procedure shortly after the season to get some relief. Just over two months later, Johnson said the back feels great.

The Raiders had agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Eli Apple at the opening of free agency, with Apple and Mullen expected to man the two starting spots. But the plan fell through when Apple and the Raiders could not finalize the deal. As a result, a wider door could open for Johnson as a result. He is eager to finally get back on the field and forge a role for himself.

“I’m excited, first and foremost, about playing for the Raiders. It’s a blessing,” Johnson said. “But for me, finally getting a chance to play fully healthy is what I’m looking forward to. … So I can’t wait to be able to take the field healthy again.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.