While it might not be considered a splash or major signing, the Los Angeles Rams added to their secondary by bringing back John Johnson III this week. They signed him to a one-year deal on Monday, reuniting with one of Sean McVay’s first draft picks.
After spending four years with the Rams from 2017-2020, Johnson played the last two years with the Browns, which weren’t his best seasons as a pro. But he’s looking to rebound in his seventh NFL season with a team he’s very familiar with.
As excited as Johnson is to be back in Los Angeles, McVay is equally thrilled to have the former third-round pick in his secondary again. After practice on Tuesday, McVay explained the signing and described it as an opportunity to add a “really good player” to the defense – someone who “was a foundational piece” for the Rams in the past.
“It’s great to be able to have him back. Really, just another really good player. Obviously was here from the start of when we got here in ’17, was a foundational piece,” McVay said. “To be able to get a guy that’s familiar with the culture, has played a lot of really good football. He’s gonna come in and he’s gonna continue to compete and earn everything just like everybody else. But we felt it was a chance to be able to upgrade our secondary, upgrade the depth of our safety room. I’m looking forward to getting him out here. He got out here in individual and a couple of plays in 7-on-7, but we’ll continue to get him acclimated smartly and we’ll see what that looks like but it’s great to have JJ back.”
Johnson is listed as a backup safety right now but that’s only because he’s still getting acclimated. Regardless of whether he’s a starter or backup initially, Johnson is going to contribute early on, competing with Jordan Fuller, Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake at safety.
As someone who previously relayed the defensive calls with the Rams, he knows this defense well. And entering his seventh season in the NFL, his experience is going to be invaluable for the rest of the secondary.
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