Jon’Vea Johnson is hoping to redeem himself after a rough 2019 preseason, where dropped passed killed his shot at making the Dallas Cowboys’ roster at wide receiver. He’s back after a year on the practice squad, but Johnson’s comeback will now be delayed after being placed on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list.
One of six players around the league to be added to this list yesterday, Jon’Vea will be able to rejoin the team after going through a quarantine period and testing negative.
Cowboys WR Jon’Vea Johnson on this list. Doesn’t mean he tested positive but he could have been exposed to a person with the virus. https://t.co/2vfV8XuqH1
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) July 27, 2020
As Todd Archer’s tweet explains, Johnson may not have actually had a positive test but was at enough risk of exposure to warrant this move. He is the only Cowboys player to have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list so far.
Ezekiel Elliott had a positive Coronavirus test in mid-June but enough time has elapsed for him to safely join his teammates at training camp.
While Zeke would have a guaranteed roster spot even if he missed all of camp, Jon’Vea Johnson isn’t quite so fortunate. He has an uphill battle to make the team even without this setback.
Johnson was one of Dallas’ most hyped-up players going into the 2019 preseason but didn’t live up to the expectations. If he can regain confidence in his catching ability to add to his crisp route running, Jon’Vea could threaten the bottom of the WR depth cart this season.
It won’t be easy; Dallas still has several prospects like Devin Smith, Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown, and Ventell Bryant who all have regular-season experience. They also have some intriguing new rookies in Kendrick Rogers and Aaron Parker.
For his sake, hopefully Jon’Vea Johnson won’t be out long and he’ll get his chance to compete as the Cowboys put together their 2020 roster over the next several weeks.
