Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Johnson Bademosi happy to hang with Robert Kraft

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Johnson Bademosi, who has emerged for the New England Patriots the last two weeks at cornerback in place of injured Stephon Gilmore, received the type of visit Monday that most players welcome.

Sitting at his locker, scrolling through his phone, owner Robert Kraft stopped to say hello.

On the surface, one might have drawn the conclusion that Bademosi's fill-in work on defense the last two weeks led to such a meeting. But Bademosi said it is actually commonplace.

"He knows everybody by name, he communicates with guys and he's present and around. That's a great thing," he relayed.

Bademosi said he first met Kraft the day after he was acquired in a trade from the Lions on Sept. 2.

"He came up and said 'Great to have you here.' I told him I was excited to be here and to win," he recalled. "I think he really cares about guys and this club, and wants it to be successful. He makes sure we have everything we need."

Bademosi added that Kraft "cares about the feeling around the team, the morale and chemistry."

Bademosi does too, saying he is "excited about everything and ready to attack" Chargers' preparations.

In addition to Kraft, he has also caught the attention of head coach Bill Belichick.

"J.B. does a good job; he prepares hard every week and he's ready to go whatever his role is," Belichick said. "He's very professional."

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