Surprisingly, the Washington Commanders released veteran cornerback Danny Johnson on Wednesday. Washington made the move to claim rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly off waivers from the Green Bay Packers.
The Commanders releasing Johnson isn’t necessarily the biggest surprise. Since signing with Washington as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Johnson has been released multiple times and spent time on the practice squad. However, he just signed a two-year extension in March after playing well down the stretch in 2022.
Johnson ends his time in Washington appearing in 66 games with eight starts. He recorded 96 tackles and one interception. Johnson also returned 38 kickoffs, averaging 22.5 yards per return.
The chance to land a young player like Kelly, who Washington liked in the pre-draft process last offseason, was an opportunity the Commanders couldn’t afford to pass up. The 6-foot-0, 193-pounder from Stanford was a fifth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2023 NFL draft but was waived during final cuts in August.
Kelly was claimed by Seattle, where he appeared in five games before being waived again on Nov. 11. That’s when the Packers claimed him, and he appeared in one game for Green Bay. In total, the rookie has appeared in six games this season but has played only two defensive snaps. Most of his action came on special teams.
During his time at Stanford, Kelly was a three-year starter and two-time second-team All-Pac 12 selection.
The Commanders have a connection to Kelly. Quarterbacks coach Tavita. Pritchard was with Kelly for all four of his seasons at Stanford, where he served as the offensive coordinator.
According to Mike Garofolo of the NFL Network, the Los Angeles Rams — Washington’s opponent this week — tried to claim on two different occasions this season.
The #Rams and #Texans put in claims for CB Kyu Blu Kelly, who was awarded to the #Commanders. This is the second time in the past few weeks the Rams tried to claim him, only to have a team with a higher priority get him. https://t.co/rL2QBjMYO0
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 14, 2023
Kelly’s father, Brian, a former second-round pick out of USC in 1998, played 11 NFL seasons, including 10 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The elder Kelly had 22 interceptions during his NFL career and also won a Super Bowl.
