Johnson finished 11th at the 2015 U.S. Championships. In the summer of 2015, he underwent surgery for multiple hernias. At the 2016 U.S. Championships, he ranked seventh in the short program, fifth in the free skate, and sixth overall – his best result to date. He replicated that result at the 2017 U.S. Championships, after placing ninth in the short and fifth in the free.