Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson is aiming to keep his right knee from causing any problems for him this season. He’s appeared in only 18 of his first 32 career games, and he’s looking to change that.
So much in fact, that his strategy in combating the issue has become almost like a whole addition to himself.
He’s wearing a knee brace, which as he puts it, is almost like they’re one person together.
“Oh yeah, me and the knee brace are one — like we’re one person,” he said. “I work with it and it works with me.”
I’ve used it all offseason, used it all when I was coming back last season, so that’s just the new me,” Johnson said Saturday via teleconference. “I’m the knee-brace guy everybody jokes about — but it feels great. I like having a knee brace on; it helps me out a lot and gives me a little peace of mind as well.”
And while it’s certainly been a different experience in 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak, Johnson is focused on being on the same page as his teammates and coaching staff.
“My main focus has been — without the OTA session, without the summer, without in-person meetings, walk-throughs and things like that — just making sure that everybody is working on the same page,” Johnson said. “It’s different to my ears hearing (play calls) for two straight years in this offense than a guy who just got here in August, or a guy that was in and out last year, hearing things and different things.”
And alongside rookies D’Andre Swift and Jason Huntley, Johnson will have some additional weapons to work with – though he may not be able to move quite the same way that Swift does.
“Well, I can’t learn anything from Swift because the way Swift’s knees bend and hips work, I can’t do any of that,” Johnson joked. “So when he comes up and does his little shaky-bake, whatever, I can’t do that, so I just say, ‘Good job. Maybe do this a little better or maybe do that but you got open.’
“It’s hard to tell somebody who got open, ‘Don’t get open. So, I mean he’s been doing an excellent job. Huntley, just coming in from a smaller college a very spread offense just doing things our way is always a learning curve for everybody.”
– – Quotes via Rod Beard of The Detroit News
