Dolphins rookie CB Chris Johnson turning heads as a potential building block

Every August produces a few undrafted names that force their way onto rosters, and the Dolphins may have theirs. Rookie cornerback Chris Johnson continued his strong camp Monday, and the accumulation of plays is starting to earn him bigger labels.

Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post flatly called Johnson "a Dolphins building block" after the rookie broke up another pass in Monday's practice — the team's 15th of camp — while David Furones of the Sun Sentinel highlighted another rep from the session on video. When two beat writers independently single out the same young corner within an hour, it usually means the practice-squad conversation has quietly become a 53-man roster conversation.

Johnson's rise comes at exactly the right point on the calendar. Miami must set its roster by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, and the back of the secondary is one of the genuinely open competitions left on the depth chart. Special-teams value typically decides those battles, and every pass breakup on special-heavy periods strengthens the case.

The Dolphins close the preseason Friday at home against Atlanta — a game where fringe roster candidates like Johnson get their longest looks — before hosting Indianapolis in the September 7 opener.