Therefore, Johnson trains his eyes on the Broncos backfield, while shadowing wide receiver Eddie Royal. Sure enough, here it comes. Johnson is ready. He snares the ball, bolts down the left sideline and high-steps it the last 10 yards into the end zone for a 65-yard interception return last Sunday

A holding penalty on Johnson negated the interception. However, Johnson's overall play has so far validated Oakland's decision to jettison high-priced, high-profile, high-maintenance cornerback DeAngelo Hall after eight games this season.

"At some point, (Johnson) became ... the second-best corner here," Raiders coach Tom Cable said. "That facilitated the ability to make this decision."

Johnson, 29, has started the past three games. Before that, he carved out a niche on special teams and was an extra defensive back in obvious passing situations.

Before joining the Raiders in 2007, Johnson played only one full season in the NFL with the St . Louis Rams in 2005. A seventh-round draft pick by Green Bay in 2003, he was limited to only nine games on the Packers active roster that season and the next because of injury and saw no playing time. After his stint with the Rams, he was out of the NFL in 2006.

"I put in five good, hard years," Johnson said. "Now, it's paying off."

Johnson, wanting to make sure he was prepared when his opportunity came, attended an offseason camp run by former superstar cornerback Deion Sanders in Dallas to learn some of the nuances of the position.

Sanders' camp is designed to teach aspiring cornerbacks how to improve their technique, ways go gain an edge over receivers and things to look for as a play unfolds. Sanders passed on his wealth of knowledge free of charge, beginning with workout drills at 7 a.m. and culminating with one-on-one drills against college receivers in the afternoon.

"Oh, man, he helped with my technique and other little things," said Johnson, who emulates Sanders at practice and is called "Prime Time" by his teammates. "But the biggest thing I learned from him is that, you can't let receivers see you're doing the same thing.

"When Deion played, he wanted receivers coming to the line wondering what he's going to do. Now I have that in my arsenal. I use a different technique every time. It has helped a great deal."

Cutler felt as if he had no other option but to go after Johnson, given the presence of proven cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha on the other side. He targeted Johnson on 11 of his 37 passes. None went Asomugha's way. Johnson allowed three completions for 19 yards.

"We believe in him because he can run and isn't afraid to play guys up close," Asomugha said after the game. "He's not afraid to get beat."

There isn't much to lose when you're at an age considered advanced for a position that relies upon speed and three teams already have discarded you without giving you much of a shot.

That shot came when the Raiders waived Hall. Johnson said now he is just making the most of his first opportunity, one he didn't receive at his previous three stops.

"That's the nature of the NFL," former cornerback Stanford Routt said. "We have a lot of people in the secondary that can play. We're stacked with talent. Everyone is just waiting for their shot. Chris is making the most of his opportunity."

Notes

Sunday's game against the Chiefs sold out in advance of the league-mandated deadline and will be televised locally. ? The Raiders placed wide receiver Javon Walker (ankle) on the injured-reserve list. He sustained his injury against the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 9 and underwent surgery five days later. The Raiders signed veteran guard Dylan Gandy to take Walker's place on the 53-man roster. Gandy, 26, started 14 games for the Indianapolis Colts from 2005-07. Denver waived Gandy in October. ? Center Jake Grove (calf) and linebacker Ricky Brown (groin) did not practice. They are day-to-day, Cable said. Brown has missed the past four games, Grove the last two. ? The Raiders waived guard Junius Coston and signed rookie defensive back Darrick Brown from the practice squad as a roster replacement. ? Punt returner Johnnie Lee Higgins was named the special teams player of the week for his 89-yard punt for a touchdown against the Broncos.

Chiefs vs. Raiders ?Sunday: in Oakland, 1:15 p.m. ?TV: CBS