Chiefs' Nazeeh Johnson has everything in place to bounce back strong from ACL injury

A big milestone in Kansas City Chiefs CB Nazeeh Johnson's recovery awaits. 

In recent weeks, he's been doing hydrotherapy, running on the treadmill underwater, building up confidence and range of motion in his surgically repaired knee. This week, he's hopeful to be cleared for some light jogging for the first time since tearing his ACL during an indoor training camp practice in late July. 

"I'm doing I'm doing really well," Johnson told A to Z Sports. "I'm really blessed to have a great team around me."

It's not just the trainers and medical staff rallying around Johnson during his rehab, recovery, and eventual comeback. His coaches and teammates have played their part as well.

Advice from Chiefs teammates who have torn ACLs before

The most extensive injury that Johnson had prior to tearing his ACL was a torn labrum when he was in college. Besides that, it was mostly minor injuries — like a torn ligament in his thumb that had to be surgically repaired. As far as lower body injuries go, the extent of what he'd ever dealt with was a Grade 2 hamstring strain. 

"You know, those are kind of minor compared to what the ACL is," he said.

Johnson, however, doesn't have to carry the burden of this major injury alone. Several of his teammates have been there before, and even under similar circumstances.

"You've got Jet McKinnon," Johnson explained. "He told me he had his ACLs, both of them were gone. He was telling me how to go about the process." 

After filling in for an injured Dalvin Cook in 2017 with the Minnesota Vikings, McKinnon earned a four-year contract worth $30 million with the San Francisco 49ers. He'd end up tearing his ACL in a team workout just prior to the start of the regular season, and that was just the beginning of his issues.

It's not just McKinnon in his corner, though. 

"You have Turk (Tershawn Wharton), he tore his ACL," Johnson continued. "He just got back this season. Malik Herring also talked to me about tearing an ACL. How it feels, and stuff like that.

"So there's a lot of people that have actually very successful careers that torn it. And they’re just telling me what to do. They say, 'Don't rush back.' They say, 'Take your time. Make sure you’re 100% before you come back.'"

The advice certainly hasn't fallen on deaf ears. Johnson has been patient to this point and he doesn't plan to rush back. He's got bigger goals in mind. 

The inspiration behind Nazeeh Johnson's comeback

Heading into training camp, Johnson had earned his chance to play with the starting defense in Kansas City. It's something that both Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo made sure to note to members of the media after he was injured. 

“I’m really sad to see that happen [to] Nazeeh [Johnson],” Spagnuolo said. “He was really climbing. If you guys notice he was taking reps with the first group because he had earned it. He’s got a really good corner skill set."

"He’s really developed over the year," Reid said of Johnson. "It’s too bad that it happened, he’s got a good attitude about it. He’ll get back when he gets back.”

Some days are tougher than others for the second-year defender. The former 2022 seventh-round draft pick worked his way up from an ace special teamer to potentially earning a role as a defensive starter in 2023. It's crazy to think about given how dominant the defense has been, that Johnson was right there with the rest of them.

He, of course, wonders what would have been had he not been injured. However, it's the support system he currently has in place that continues to inspire him to push harder through those tough days. 

“Yeah, that’s fueling my comeback a little bit," He explained. "Sometimes it's kind of hard. Some days it’s like, ‘Man, I'm supposed to be out there.’ You know what I’m saying? I was just out there with the boys. But you know, I've got a great group of guys in that DB room man. They keep me in tune, they always ask how I'm doing. Like, I go to meetings, and they make sure I'm in there." 

It also doesn't hurt that the defense and secondary players who he was drafted alongside are having an impressive season. He takes a lot of pride in that, and the fact that they haven't forgotten about him as he faces his own trials in 2023.

"I’m proud of them because they are balling this year," Johnson exclaimed. "Knowing that they're still thinking about me makes me feel even better."