Zeroing in on Roster Spot, Cade Johnson Trying to Help Seahawks in 'Any Way' He Can

SEATTLE, WA - Cade Johnson isn't your typical undrafted rookie. He looked well on his way to being taken within the first four rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft after dominating Senior Bowl workouts, but poor testing at his pro day and small school production sent his draft stock into a tailspin. 

In a draft where certainty reigned supreme, one hiccup in the process proved to be a death knell to Johnson's hopes of being selected. Nevertheless, he may argue that he ended up in the best possible place for him to live out his NFL dreams: Seattle, a place where another undrafted free agent signing and a player he's often been compared to, Doug Baldwin, etched out a legendary career. 

So far, the South Dakota State alum is off to a solid start. The offense featured him on a pair of screens in the Seahawks' mock game two weeks ago and he continues to impress in practice. He also caught four passes on five targets for 25 yards against the Raiders in the team's preseason opener last weekend.

With John Ursua going down with an unfortunate knee injury and the offense sputtering, Johnson proved to be one of the Seahawks' few bright spots in their 30-3 loss to the Broncos Saturday night. Targeted seven times out of the slot, he reeled in three balls for 34 yards despite quarterback Sean Mannion's accuracy issues.

"Cade has looked really good in practice," head coach Pete Carroll said following the game. "He’s a real instinctive football player. He shows that he’s got sense and feel and all that kind of stuff. He was a really productive player in college. He just seems like he’s carried it over, so he’s working hard to take advantage of it."

At South Dakota State, Johnson finished his collegiate career with 2,863 yards and 28 touchdowns on 163 receptions with an average of 9.3 yards after the catch. Additionally, he broke the school's single-season records for touchdowns (17) in his sophomore campaign and kickoff return yards (839) as a freshman. 

Now, he's proving his talents were not simply a product of poor competition in the FCS. And as he works his way towards a spot on the Seahawks' 53-man roster, he's making himself available in every way possible. 

"Just being able to go in there and make an impact on offense," Johnson said of his plan going into these first two preseason games. "I mean, Shane’s [Waldron] always throwing stuff at us every week, we don’t have it all in in preseason but just to get the basic grip on offense and try to contribute on special teams as much as I can. I’m still asking [Larry] Izzo to get in there on [special teams] reps and trying to make a mark to prove that I need to be on this team. It’s just a good feeling to be able to get out there and get the NFL tempo down and just go ball again.”

To make it at the back end of Seattle's roster as a receiver, you have to provide special teams value. Receiving opportunities will be vastly limited with two All-Pros at the top of the group and a recent second-round draft pick directly behind them. 

Johnson recognizes that and feels comfortable in being able to contribute in other ways, even though he didn't do it as much towards the end of his time at South Dakota State. But while his role as a kick returner was reduced after his record-setting campaign and he became more of a fixture in the Jackrabbits' offense, he put up 1,496 return yards and two touchdowns by the end of his days in college. 

"My first identity in college was kick returning, so I actually ended up breaking the school record my redshirt freshman year," Johnson echoed. "Just being able to be on special teams. Obviously when I got more load on offense and Dallas Goedert left to the Eagles, and then Jake Winicki in the CFL, the bulk of the offense went more to me, so I was on less special teams. I still have a basic grasp of playing fast and physical and just being on those units so I understand what it takes. I’m just trying to help any way I can.”

Johnson, of course, has come a long way from South Dakota and his hometown of Papillion, Nebraska. And if he didn't realize it before, he certainly did Saturday night in front of 68,027 fans at Lumen Field—the first time Seahawks fans have been admitted to a home game since December of 2019.

“It was really loud," Johnson reflected on his first exposure to Seattle's iconic fanbase. "I just love Seattle and the environment. My family came from Omaha, Nebraska and they were upset because I didn’t tell them it was this cold. It was super muggy in Omaha when they left, my girlfriend was mad at me because she didn’t pack any sweatshirts and all that. The environment and the fans, the fans are second to none. It’s just an awesome experience. Coach Carroll, every week he tells us about the 12s, and he’s not lying when he says it and he never sugar coats it. They are what they are and they’re the best fans in the NFL.”

As he transitions to the game of football's biggest stage, Johnson is soaking up all the information and experience he can get. He's leaned on his position coaches, Nate Carroll and Kerry Joseph, for guidance and understands his path to an active NFL roster may not be a linear one.

All he hopes to do is control the things he can control. And he'll have one more opportunity to do so against the Chargers next Saturday before the Seahawks trim their roster down from 80 players to 53. 

"I’m not perfect," Johnson expressed. "I’m never going to be perfect, but I’m trying to perfect my craft as best I can."