[1] On March 21, 2014, Johnson chose to participate at Vanderbilt's pro day, along with Jonathan Krause, Jordan Matthews, Kenny Ladler, Andre Hal, and nine others.

He opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills for team representatives and scouts, that included head coaches Chip Kelly (Eagles) and Ken Whisenhunt (Titans).

His versatility and experience playing all offensive line positions in college helped him earn the roster spot, as he also served as the third string center behind Maurkice Pouncey and Cody Wallace.

On October 28, 2015, the New York Jets signed him to the active roster after it was apparent starting center Nick Mangold would miss the next game after suffering a neck injury.

[6] On November 1, 2015, Johnson earned his first career start and made his official regular season debut in the Jets loss at the Oakland Raiders.

[16] He remained the starting center for the last eight games of the season after Nick Mangold was unable to play due to a recurring ankle injury.

[17] Johnson was slated to be the starting center after the Jets released Nick Mangold on February 25, 2017, after having a successful run while replacing him while he was injured during the 2016 season.