Injuries were a major problem for the Los Angeles Rams last season, losing players such as John Johnson, Aqib Talib, Brandin Cooks and Rob Havenstein all at different points in the year. Some missed more time than others, but Johnson’s absence from the lineup was significant.
He went down with a shoulder injury in Week 6 and landed on injured reserve, missing the rest of the year. Despite missing 10 games, Johnson still had 51 tackles and two interceptions, also making two stops behind the line of scrimmage.
What Johnson didn’t do was play on the same field as Jalen Ramsey, who the Rams acquired from the Jaguars mid-season. Johnson can’t wait to play alongside Ramsey, who’s a lockdown cornerback and one of the best at his position in the NFL.
“Not only do we have new guys, we have a new (defensive) coordinator, new special teams coordinator and a new OC, as well. Playing with the guy Jalen Ramsey, he locks up. Period,” Johnson said on “Total Access” Wednesday. “So it’ll make my job a lot easier and just feeding off his energy. I think us two together, along with everyone else in that backend, we can do a lot of good things, so I’m excited and I can’t wait.”
“We get to be that team to fight to get our spot back.” 💪@iamjohnthethird joined @NFLTotalAccess with a look-ahead to the 2020 season… including their new uniforms 👀@RhettNFL | @RamsNFL pic.twitter.com/CKvPIYuk5V
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 14, 2020
Johnson was part of a new safety tandem in L.A. last year, with Eric Weddle coming aboard via free agency. The pairing only lasted six weeks, but Johnson learned a lot from the veteran safety, who’s now retired from the NFL.
And with Johnson being the oldest safety on the team at only 24 years old, he feels like a leader among his teammates.
“Eric, I tip my hat off to him. He came right in, everyone bought in to what Eric had to say and his experience coming in,” Johnson said. “So I just try to be a sponge and absorb all that I can. We’ve got young guys coming in and I’m going into Year 4 and I feel like I’m kind of the OG of the group. I feel like I’m Year 8 or 9 so it’ll be fun coaching those guys up and seeing them out there running and ripping.”
Last year was supposed to be a big one for Johnson, potentially pushing for his first Pro Bowl selection. The shoulder injury prevented that from happening, but his goal in 2020 is to go over the high bar he set in 2018 with 119 tackles and four interceptions.
If he does that in this upcoming contract year, he knows the rest will take care of itself and he’ll earn the contract he deserves.
“My goal and plan is to top that season,” he said. “If I can top that season, I know the rest will take care of itself. I just try not to think about it. It’s no pressure, I just go out there and be myself every day and the rest will take care of itself.”
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