Commanders release veteran CB Danny Johnson

The Washington Commanders have released veteran cornerback Danny Johnson, according to ESPN’s John Keim. Johnson played four seasons with the Commanders after going undrafted in 2018 out of Southern. 

The Commanders also released cornerback Corn Elder, according to the Athletic’s Ben Standig. 

Washington entered training camp with concerns about its secondary depth. William Jackson III and Kendall Fuller are cemented as the starting cornerbacks, and last year’s third-round pick Benjamin St-Juste appears set to be the third cornerback. Beyond them, there are question marks at the position. 

Johnson competed to land a spot in the CB rotation. However, he struggled in preseason. Subpar outings against the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens stood out. 

He was beaten badly by Ravens wide receiver Demarcus Robinson on a 67-yard touchdown in Saturday’s preseason finale. 

Johnson has been cut before by Washington. The Commanders waived him last year during final cuts before he re-signed to the practice squad and appeared in 12 regular season games. According to the league’s new adjusted rules, Johnson could return to the practice squad. But, if it’s truly the end of his time in Washington, he appeared in 42 games over four seasons in the burgundy and gold.

The Commanders drafted cornerback Christian Holmes in the seventh round of this year’s draft out of Oklahoma State. While the coaches appeared to like Holmes, cutting both Johnson and Elder could lead to the Commanders searching the waiver wire to add to their 53-man roster to start the season.