Joe Worsley will make his first start of the 2010 Six Nations campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday .
Lewis Moody was dropped after the Tigers flanker lasted just 55 minutes of England's 20-16 loss to defending champions Ireland last time out and was replaced at openside by the experienced Worsley.
The 32-year-old Worsley, who will be winning his 76th cap this weekend, returns to the starting XV for the first time since suffering knee ligament damage in the opening minute of England's 19-6 loss to New Zealand in November.
Johnson insisted his decision to bring in Worsley, widely regarded as England's best defensive back-row, was not a criticism of Moody but merely a case of making a specific selection for the challenged posed by Scotland.
"It was a very tough call," he told reporters at England's training base here on Tuesday.
"It is not a reflection at all on how Lewis has played.
"It is more of a reflection on the strength and depth of the players we have in the squad.
"We felt it was the best call to put Joe in the starting team and have Lewis on the bench to make an impact.
"They are two different players. They can both play six and seven. There is not a weakness in Lewis's game but Joe's defence is good and his ball-carrying is particularly strong."
"It was the toughest selection we have had as a group. That is not because we lost the last game but the squad we have now puts pressure on players to perform."
There are changes on the bench with uncapped Leicester scrum-half Ben Youngs, whose father Nick won six caps for England at scrum-half between 1983 to 1984, called onto the bench in place of London Irish's Paul Hodgson.
Also among the replacements is Youngs's former England Under-20 team-mate Courtney Lawes, who won his first cap as a replacement against Australia last November and now takes the bench spot previously occupied by Worsley.
Meanwhile 2003 World Cup winner Steve Thompson returns as the replacement hooker instead of Lee Mears.
Full-back Delon Armitage, who had a rib problem, was passed fit after Johnson said he "trained vigorously" on Monday while reserve fly-half Toby Flood was cleared to take his place on the bench after suffering a blow to the head playing for Leicester.
Defeat by Ireland ended England's hopes of a Grand Slam this season as well as the Triple Crown although the Six Nations title remains a possibility.
Scotland, whose former England coach Andy Robinson - deputy to Clive Woodward when Johnson lifted the World Cup in 2003 - announced their side earlier on Tuesday, have yet to win in this season's Six Nations.
But they have beaten England in the last two Calcutta Cup clashes at Murrayfield in what is rugby union's oldest international fixture, dating back to 1871.
England
15 Delon Armitage (London Irish) , 14 Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks) , 13 Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks) , 12 Riki Flutey (CA Brive) , 11 Ugo Monye (Harlequins) , 10 Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon) , 9 Danny Care (Harlequins) , 1 Tim Payne (London Wasps) , 2 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints) , 3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers) , 4 Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers) , 5 Steve Borthwick (Saracens, Captain) , 6 James Haskell (Stade Francais) , 7 Joe Worsley (London Wasps) , 8 Nick Easter (Harlequins)
