Kelly: Dolphins rookie Chris Johnson can’t follow Noah Igbinoghene’s path | Opinion

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has started 168 of the 175 regular-season games he has played during his 15 seasons in the NFL.

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That kind of seasoned experience creates a keen awareness, one that would allow the veteran quarterback to identity something – or someone — he can exploit, and do so.

During Las Vegas’ 27-13 win against the Miami Dolphins it seemed as if the four-time Pro Bowler intentionally went after cornerback Chris Johnson, targeting the areas and players the 2026 first-round pick was defending.

Whether it was tight end Michael Mayer, the replacement for an injured Brock Bowers, slot receiver Jack Bech or tailback Ashton Jeanty, Johnson was under heavy fire, and it resulted in two touchdowns being scored with him responsible for the player’s coverage.

“It wasn’t the best showing,” Johnson admitted after Sunday’s game. “I’ve got to clean up some of my technique. I feel like I was responsible for a few touchdowns.

“I just have to be cleaner in coverage. The team is relying on me to do that.”

Johnson’s performance is reminiscent of when another Dolphins cornerback drafted in the first round got picked on by another quarterback in Cousin’s 2012 draft class.

Back in 2020 Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to a 31-23 victory over the Dolphins, and during the game he went after Noah Igbinoghene. Wilson threw for 115 yards and a touchdown when challenging the rookie, and that included setting up a crucial first-half touchdown pass to David Moore against Igbinoghene’s coverage.

Igbinoghene, who was pressed into duty because of an injury to Byron Jones, was never the same after that game.

He struggled with his confidence his entire Dolphins career before eventually being traded to Dallas in 2023 for a meaningless swap of cornerbacks (Kelvin Johnson) on the back end of each team’s roster.

These things happen to young players.

Sometimes it’s the offensive lineman filling in by an injury player who gets targeted. Sometimes it’s the rookie an opposing offensive coordinator, or quarterback can target, or a defensive lineman who the offense will run at. Finding favorable matchups is part of the game within the game.

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“I wouldn’t say more of less he targeted me,” Johnson said when asked if he felt targeted by Cousins, who completed 21 of 30 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns. “Me moving around the field, naturally I got a lot of targets just being outside and inside. It doesn’t really matter to me whether he did or not.”

It should matter because team’s typically build on what they see on film, so expect the San Francisco 49ers to view Johnson as a marked man.

Johnson was targeted 11 times, and in those 11 attempts he allowed six catches for 63 yards and two touchdowns.

“[I have to ] learn from it. Great learning experience,” said Johnson, who finished the game with 11 tackles. “Once I get to the film I’ll be able to learn from it and move forward.”

It doesn’t help that the Dolphins have given Johnson the heaviest workload in the secondary, having him work on the boundary, and then move inside to the nickel spot when opposing teams use three receiver sets.

Playing the nickel leaves the former San Diego State standout vulnerable to option routes, which is when a player simply runs a route based on Johnson’s movement, finding open space.

Motions and shifts can also create unfavorable mismatches, like when Johnson has to cover a tight end, or a tailback coming out the backfield.

Johnson’s presnap movement also indicates to a quarterback whether the Dolphins are in man coverage, or zone, and that helps their pre and post-snap decision making.

“Chris Johnson might have the toughest job on our defense,” rookie safety Michael Taaffe said before blaming himself on one of the two touchdowns Johnson was credited with by saying Cousins moved him off the intended target with his eyes, fixating on a drag route. “Anytime you have coverage to help him, you want to help him. I’ve got to help him. At the end of the day, this locker room is all about handling adversity. What are you going to do when you get punched in the face?”

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Hopefully Johnson responds better than Igbinohene did.