Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera expressed his displeasure for how cornerback Danny Johnson was injured during their joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens.
Danny Johnson broke up a pass intended for Ravens tight end Mark Andrews during the first joint practice between both teams. Andrews slammed him to the ground out of frustration which resulted in Johnson injuring his rotator cuff. The slam caused both teams to scuffle for several minutes before practice resumed.
Fights are common in training camp, but it’s rare for injuries to happen afterwards. Andrews crossed the line and Rivera was not happy that Johnson was hurt.
“I’m upset with the way it happened, It’s just unfortunate, too, you know? And to what extent, we don’t know yet, and we won’t know anything until, well, they might know something now. I just haven’t had a chance to talk to [Head Athletic Trainer] Al [Bellamy], but you know, it’s unfortunate that did happen at all.” Rivera said according to Commanders Wire’s Bryan Manning.
Johnson’s condition remains day-to-day and hopes to recover before the start of the Commanders’ regular season on September 10th. Andrews will likely not be punished for the unnecessary slam although it resulted in injury.
Johnson enters his sixth season after re-signing with the Commanders in March. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Commanders in 2018 after a solid career at Southern University.
He started four of the 11 games he played in last year. He recorded career highs with 20 tackles, nine pass deflections, one interception and one sack.