On the day that the Las Vegas Raiders' veterans reported to training camp, John Spytek snuck in a handful of signings at the 11th hour before practices began the following day. Among them was veteran defensive end Patrick Johnson, who joined the Silver and Black without any fanfare.
But he burst onto the scene in his first preseason game with the Raiders. In 26 defensive snaps, he made six tackles and recorded a sack, as well as two quarterback hits and three run stops. Johnson also made a great play on special teams, so he was everywhere for Las Vegas in the opener.
After just one game, it was clear that he had an outside chance for the 53-man roster, between his strong play and the team's relative lack of depth at his position. Following Johnson's second straight productive outing, though, this last-minute signing is becoming even harder for the Raiders to ignore.
DE Patrick Johnson just might make the Raiders' 53-man roster
With the starters resting, Johnson actually got the starting nod opposite Malcolm Koonce on Thursday against the Houston Texans and played 37 snaps, an increase from last week's allocation. And the 28-year-old defensive end and special teams ace made the most of them.
Johnson recorded four tackles in the contest against the Texans, including three solo and two for a loss. He also had a crucial strip sack in the third quarter that changed the trajectory of the game, as the Raiders recovered the fumble and the offense charged down the field for their first touchdown.
Had it not been for that momentum-shifting play, the Silver and Black probably wouldn't have made it out of Houston with a win.
Looking at some advanced stats, Johnson had three total pressures (one sack and two hurries), three run stops, and he wasn't targeted on either of his coverage snaps. He had a pass-rush win rate of 10.0% again, which isn't necessarily elite, but it apparently got the job done down in Houston.
After playing 10 snaps on special teams in last week's game against the Arizona Cardinals, Johnson was limited to just four this week. But with the starters sitting out and more reps being given to guys on the end of the roster, that may not be such a bad thing for Johnson. It's probably a positive sign.
Of course, it will be difficult to crack the Raiders' defensive end rotation during the 2026 NFL season, with Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye, Malcolm Koonce and Keyron Crawford expected to eat up a lot of snaps. So, the determining factor for the final roster spot or two will probably be special teams play.
Luckily for Johnson, whose main competition seems to be UDFA rookie Cian Slone, who has also shown tremendous promise, he has great experience in the third phase of the game. Johnson has logged 1,328 special teams snaps in just five NFL seasons, so he knows what he's doing there.
Obviously, this will be a tough call for Klint Kubiak and John Spytek to make on cutdown day, which will be on Sunday, August 30. Johnson is making it as difficult as he can for the Las Vegas brass, but with another performance like the two he's already put on tape, he's becoming even harder to ignore.
Add us as a preferred source on Google