Redskins sign Jeron Johnson to two-year deal

Before Jeron Johnson boarded a plane to Washington, he believed it would be his final destination.

Other teams were interested in the former Seattle Seahawks safety, who spent the first four years of his professional career backing up Kam Chancellor, but Johnson knew his best opportunity was in Washington. With the departures of starting safeties Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather, he would have a cherished chance to start — even if it meant leaving behind the only team he’s ever known.

“It’s always going to be a challenge when you’re trying something new,” Johnson said by telephone Monday afternoon.

“I’m ready for a change. This is my first time being out on the East Coast. It was about time for me to get out of Seattle. I feel like I outgrew my role there. I was ready for the opportunity to play.”

Johnson visited Redskins Park on Monday morning and agreed to a two-year contract worth $4 million, strengthening a position of desperate need for Washington. Though the 26-year-old has only made one career start and is largely known for his special teams prowess, he signed his contract with the knowledge that he would become the front-runner to start at strong safety for the Redskins next season, barring any additional moves.

“I’m going to do whatever it is they ask of me,” Johnson said. “But, ultimately, I didn’t come here to be on special teams. I came here to start. That’s just the mentality I am going into the offseason with.”

Despite his youth, Johnson is already the most experienced safety on the Redskins roster. Since the end of last season, Clark retired to become an NFL analyst with ESPN and Meriweather’s contract was allowed to expire. Of the other five safeties in Washington — a group that includes Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith, Akeem Davis, Duke Ihenacho, Trenton Robinson and Phillip Thomas — nobody have more than three years of experience in the NFL.

Though Johnson hasn’t made many professional starts, he has learned from Chancellor and Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas, two of the best safeties in the league.

“Man, I feel such a great bond and relationship with those guys. It’s definitely going to be different not playing with them,” Johnson said. “I feel we built a good enough relationship to where it’s not over with. We’re still going to be able to connect in the offseason. Those are still my brothers. I love them and appreciate them. I learned from them. I’m thankful, I appreciate everything. If we’re as tight as I believe we are, I’ll see them again.”

Johnson was a high-school teammate of Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman at Dominguez High School in Compton, California. He signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State in 2011, when Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan was a senior personnel executive with the Seahawks. One year earlier, the team had drafted Chancellor, a three-time Pro Bowler, in the fifth round.

Chancellor’s presence on the roster limited Johnson’s opportunities while also preparing him for the demands of the position.

“Kam was like one of my closest friends,” Johnson said. “I learned from him on the field and off the field as far as how to be a pro and be a leader. Kam is only one year older than me, but I’ve learned so much from him. I felt I’m a leader, period. Just some of the things he did, it helped me for sure.”

In 2013, Johnson dealt with a series of hamstring issues in both legs, missing nine games and eventually landing on injured reserve. He first injured one of his hamstrings on the opening kickoff of Week 1, then strained the other in November, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. The Seahawks went on to win the Super Bowl.

Today, Johnson said he is healthy. Though he only has 28 solo tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defended in his career, his skills have long been evident.

“Jeron is always disciplined,” Sherman said in August, according to The Associated Press. “He’s always technically sound. He’s right where he needs to be. He’s always in the right spot doing the right thing. Calling out the plays. He’s a very sound player. He’s going to make the open-field tackle. We don’t miss a beat when he’s out there.”

With Johnson, the Redskins have now signed four free agents since the new league year officially began last week, all of them on the defensive side of the ball. They added defensive linemen Stephen Paea and Terrance Knighton, then signed cornerback Chris Culliver to a four-year contract. All of them have the potential to start for the Redskins next season.

Johnson hopes he does, too.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s ultimately what it came down to,” he said. “They don’t have any entrenched players here and that’s what I came to do. That’s what I came to do. I came to start.”