John Johnson pegged as the one free agent the Rams can’t afford to lose

Cameron DaSilva
·2 min read

John Johnson was drafted by the Rams in the third round in 2017, officially the third pick of the Sean McVay era. And all he’s done in the last four seasons is outplay his draft position by becoming one of the league’s best safeties despite not being recognized as a Pro Bowler once.

Johnson is versatile, has good ball skills, hits hard and rarely takes a bad angle to a ball carrier, which are all traits teams covet in a good safety. And unfortunately for the Rams, Johnson might be too good for them to retain.

He’s set to hit the free-agent market in March for the first time and will be highly sought after among safety-needy teams. Pro Football Focus highlighted the one free agent each team can’t afford to lose and for the Rams, it was Johnson.

While they have depth at safety, Johnson is a playmaker and also called the team’s defensive plays.

Johnson ranked fourth among all safeties in coverage grade in 2020, and this is no aberration. Since being drafted in 2017, he has the seventh-best coverage grade among all safeties. And defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s innovative scheme tremendously benefits a ballhawk safety in the deep third of the field.

Notably working against this reunion, the Rams have selected a handful of safeties over the past several drafts, many of whom traditionally have played free safety. If Los Angeles can’t make a deal work, the team should still be set moving forward.

If Johnson does leave in free agency, the Rams have options when it comes to replacing him. Jordan Fuller proved to be a strong starter in his rookie year, so he figures to remain in the starting lineup next season. Taylor Rapp started most of the year in 2019 when Johnson got hurt, so he also has experience. Terrell Burgess and Nick Scott also possess talent, particularly with the former being able to play all over the secondary.

Losing Johnson would hurt, but the Rams prepared for this possibility by drafting Fuller, Rapp and Burgess in the last two years.