Jeron Johnson gets a second chance to make his first career start

RENTON – Jeron Johnson waited three and a half years for the opportunity to make his first career start.

As it turned out, Seattle’s backup safety would have to wait even longer thanks to a concussion that kept him out last week against Oakland, a game in which Johnson would have started in place of an injured Kam Chancellor had he not been sidelined himself.

Talk about unfortunate timing.

“I don’t think it hit me until game day,” Johnson said Friday. “I woke up game-day morning and I was like, ‘This was my opportunity.’ “

That will likely be this week instead. Chancellor is listed as doubtful due to the groin injury that sidelined him against Oakland and kept him from practicing at all this week, which means that Johnson should get the nod Sunday against the Giants.

“It’s great to have Jeron back,” coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s been there in the role of fitting in behind Kam for some time now, so he’s best prepared and we should really expect him to play very well.”

Johnson re-signed with the Seahawks as a restricted free agent in the offseason, returning for his fourth season in Seattle. He’s been a backup to both Chancellor at strong safety and Earl Thomas at free safety. But Thomas hasn’t missed a game in his career while Chancellor had only missed one before this season, that coming in 2011 when Johnson was a rookie and Atari Bigby was ahead of him on the depth chart.

“I’ve definitely been waiting on this opportunity. I can’t even downplay and make it seem like it’s less than what it is,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to step in and just be myself. I can’t be Kam, I can’t be Earl, I can’t be anyone other than Jeron Johnson.

“So that’s my main focus is be true to me, be true to the defense, know my assignments and just play football.”