Tag: John Johnson III

Sean McVay explains why Rams are waiting so long to activate either John Johnson III or Troy Reeder

John Johnson III and Troy Reeder could both be ready to play but the Rams are waiting to use their final IR activation spot

John Johnson III went down with a shoulder injury in the Rams’ Week 2 loss to the Cardinals. It was expected to sideline him for 4-6 weeks, but he’s remained on injured reserve for the last 11 weeks.

It’s a similar situation for Troy Reeder, who was placed on IR with a hamstring injury in Week 8 and has been out ever since.

Both players have missed much more time than originally anticipated, but it’s not because their recoveries are taking longer than expected. It’s strictly a personnel decision that’s forced the Rams to take their time with both players.

Teams can only designate eight players to return from injured reserve and the Rams have already used seven of those spots, so they have just one left. Sean McVay explained on Monday that they’re waiting to use their final activation in case an injury occurs at either safety or tight end in the final five weeks, despite both players being ready to return.

“It’s interesting because we have that one spot left and what’s unique in terms of being able to utilize that for the return off of IR with the amount of slots that you do have,” McVay said. “Both of those guys could be physically ready and both of those guys would represent our team getting better. The unique thing that Les (Snead) and I and some of the defensive coaches were talking about earlier is if you were to have an injury at one of those positions, it maybe makes it a little bit easier or gives you some clarity in terms of, OK, if we had something at safety, let’s bring JJ back. If we had something at inside linebacker, let’s get Troy back. Those are ongoing conversations but as of right now, we’re still working through that. We would love to have the availability to bring them both back. It’s a tough situation. Nobody to blame but us for that. We’ll handle it accordingly, but I don’t have a clear-cut answer on that for you. They both could be available, but we only have one of those guys that we could actually bring back.”

Johnson is widely viewed as the better player, but the Rams have also found a safety rotation that’s worked in recent weeks. They’re lacking depth at inside linebacker behind Christian Rozeboom and Omar Speights, but Reeder likely wouldn’t unseat either player in the starting lineup if activated.

The only way they can bring back both players is if they make the playoffs. Teams are given an extra two return spots in the postseason, which would allow the Rams to activate one player now and two more in the playoffs.

Rams have a big roster decision to make because of the NFL’s injured reserve rules

The Rams can only activate one more player off IR this season, so will it be John Johnson III or Troy Reeder?

Injuries have been a major issue for the Los Angeles Rams this season, losing several key starters for multiple games at a time. It was particularly problematic early in the year when Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson, Joe Noteboom and Darious Williams were all on injured reserve at the same time. All five of those players have since been activated, but John Johnson III and Troy Reeder are two starters who remain on IR.

They’re both eligible to be activated as early as this week after missing the last four-plus games, but it’s not as simple as just adding them to the 53-man roster. The NFL’s rules for injured reserve present the Rams with a tough decision. Teams can only designate up to eight players to return from IR in a single season and the Rams have already used seven: the five aforementioned players, as well as KT Leveston and Larrell Murchison.

That leaves them with just one more activation spot available. So will it be Johnson or will it be Reeder? The player who isn’t designated to return will miss the remainder of the regular season, with a possibility of returning for the playoffs when teams are given two more activation spots.

“With ‘JJ’, you have him and you have Troy Reeder (as) guys where you have that one spot available,” McVay said last week. “Tyler Higbee wouldn’t count towards that. I think what you do is you take it a week at a time. I would say that Higbee’s a couple weeks away. J.J. could be on a week-to-week thing, as is Troy Reeder.”

Johnson’s return is taking longer than expected, which could be a sign that the Rams don’t plan on activating him at all this season. He went out with a shoulder injury in Week 2 and was expected to miss 4-6 weeks, which would’ve put him on track to return around Week 8.

It’s now Week 12 and McVay is still saying it’s a “week-to-week thing.” Johnson posted on Instagram last week that he “can’t wait to get back,” with the hashtag #FreeJJ, which could be taken as him saying he’s ready to return already.

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The tricky part with both of these players is their replacements are performing well. The Rams have found a ton of success with the group of Kam Curl, Quentin Lake, Kamren Kinchens and Jaylen McCollough, so it’s unclear if Johnson would even take back his starting role.

At linebacker, Omar Speights and Christian Rozeboom have stood out in a positive way with Reeder sidelined, improving the middle of the Rams defense. Would the Rams really take Speights off the field and put Reeder back in?

It won’t be an easy decision either way, and McVay hasn’t given any indication as to which way the Rams are leaning. Johnson’s return would come at the expense of playing time for the team’s young, emerging safeties, while Reeder’s would take Speights out of the starting lineup.

The smarter move might be to activate Johnson and start him alongside Curl, allowing Lake to move back to the “star” role of covering the slot. That would probably improve the cornerback group, limiting snaps for Ahkello Witherspoon, who’s exclusively a boundary corner.

Sean McVay shares the latest on Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson and John Johnson III

Sean McVay isn’t sure if Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson or John Johnson will practice this week but they’re “making good progress”

The Los Angeles Rams really haven’t been at full strength all year, particularly along the offensive line. They were without Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein in Week 1, and then both Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson went down with injuries. They’ve been sidelined since the first two weeks of the season but they could be nearing a return.

The same goes for John Johnson III, who’s been out since injuring his shoulder in Week 2. All three players are on injured reserve and the Rams have yet to designate any of them to return to practice. On Monday, Sean McVay shared the latest on those three injured stars, saying he’s unsure if they’ll practice this week but he isn’t ruling it out.

“I don’t know that we’re at that point yet but then again, when you guys asked me this about Puka [Nacua] last week, I was surprised,” McVay said. “I have not gotten a chance – I just got the medical updates as it relates to those guys that I’ve mentioned really with Kam Curl and with Neville Gallimore, but usually tomorrow is kind of when we have our checkup on those guys that have been rehabbing. They’re making good progress but as far as this week, I don’t know if I anticipate their status changing and you guys will be the first to know on Wednesday if that does.”

It sounds like they probably won’t be designated to return this week, but as McVay said, he also didn’t anticipate Nacua practicing last week until he got back on the field Wednesday and shined on Thursday Night Football one day later.

In the absence of Avila and Jackson, the Rams have Justin Dedich at left guard and Beaux Limmer at center, and both are playing well at the moment. That doesn’t mean they’ll keep those two rookies as the starters when Avila and Jackson return, but they’re holding down the fort.

Kam Curl and Quentin Lake are also playing well at safety, so the Rams will need to devise a plan for Johnson’s return and figure out where he fits. One good possibility is starting him next to Curl and moving Lake back to the slot where he’s excelled.

Everything to know about Rams’ IR situation: Who’s on it, how many can return and when?

The Rams currently have 11 players on IR but not all of them will be able to return this season. Here’s what you need to know about LA’s tough situation.

It’s only Week 3 but the Los Angeles Rams’ roster has been decimated by injuries already. It makes their 0-2 start even worse, knowing players such as Steve Avila, Puka Nacua, Jonah Jackson and John Johnson III won’t be back for awhile.

Cooper Kupp is also injured, but unlike the four players above, he has not been placed on injured reserve – yet, at least. Sean McVay said it’s still possible Kupp will go on IR with an ankle injury, but the team is undecided as of now.

Part of the reason they didn’t place Kupp on IR is that they’re limited in the number of players who can be designated to return from IR. If they keep putting players on IR, not everyone will be able to return, so the Rams have to be selective – even if it means an injured player taking up a roster spot.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Rams’ dubious IR situation, including the players currently on the list and when they can return.

Who’s currently on IR?

  1. OL Steve Avila (knee)
  2. OL Jonah Jackson (shoulder)
  3. S John Johnson III (shoulder)
  4. CB Derion Kendrick (knee)
  5. OL Conor McDermott (undisclosed)
  6. WR Puka Nacua (knee)
  7. OL Joe Noteboom (ankle)
  8. CB Tre Tomlinson (undisclosed)
  9. CB Darious Williams (hamstring)
  10. OL KT Leveston (ankle)
  11. DT Larrell Murchison (arm)

How many games do they have to miss?

Players who are placed on injured reserve must miss a minimum of four games. Not four weeks, but four games. After the fourth game, teams are able to designate a player to return from IR, at which point they can begin practicing.

Once a player is designated to return, the team has a 21-day window to activate him to the 53-man roster. If he’s not activated in that timeframe, he will remain on IR for the rest of the season.

How many players can be designated to return?

Teams are allowed to designate eight players to return from IR, or 10 if the team reaches the playoffs. So for the Rams, they already have 11 players on IR, two of whom have already been ruled out for the year (Derion Kendrick and Tre Tomlinson).

That leaves nine other players who are eligible to return. Leveston and Murchison were designated to return before the season started, and it’s expected that the other seven players could all be back at some point this year.

When is each player first eligible to return?

  1. OL Steve Avila (knee): Week 7
  2. OL Jonah Jackson (shoulder): Week 8
  3. S John Johnson III (shoulder): Week 8
  4. CB Derion Kendrick (knee): Out for year
  5. OL Conor McDermott (undisclosed): Week 5
  6. WR Puka Nacua (knee): Week 7
  7. OL Joe Noteboom (ankle): Week 7
  8. CB Tre Tomlinson (undisclosed): Out for year
  9. CB Darious Williams (hamstring): Week 5
  10. OL KT Leveston (ankle): Week 5
  11. DT Larrell Murchison (arm): Week 5

Rams, John Johnson III agree to terms on free-agent deal

The Rams are bringing back John Johnson III, agreeing to a new deal on Thursday

For the second year in a row, the Los Angeles Rams are bringing back John Johnson III. The team announced on Thursday that it has agreed to terms with the veteran defender, though the details of the contract were not released.

Johnson teased a return to the Rams on social media earlier on Thursday with a clip from “The Wolf of Wall Street” – an iconic scene, at that.

Johnson signed with the Rams last summer after a stint with the Browns, inking a one-year deal for the 2023 season. He played all 17 games and made eight starts, intercepting two passes with 42 total tackles. Johnson also broke up six total passes, his most since 2020.

The Rams signed Kamren Curl in free agency and drafted Kamren Kinchens in the third round, so they’ve sunk assets into the safety position after letting Jordan Fuller walk as a free agent this offseason.

It’s unclear where Johnson will land on the depth chart with Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast also competing for snaps, but depth is no longer a concern at safety with Johnson back.

14 pending defensive free agents with ties to the Panthers’ coaching staff

Pro Bowl pass rusher and pending free agent Josh Allen has an early connection with a member of the Carolina coaching staff.

Unlike their staff on offense, the Carolina Panthers didn’t need to touch their defensive coaches going into 2024. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have connections to a few intriguing free agents.

Here are 14 pending defensive free agents, in areas of need, who have ties to Carolina’s coaching staff:

Former Browns S John Johnson III re-signs with Rams on one-year deal

The former Browns safety returns to familiarity

The Cleveland Browns are just three years removed from making John Johnson III the highest-paid safety in the NFL. Cut just after two seasons in Cleveland, Johnson III has now returned to the team he left to come to the Browns. The former Pro Bowl safety, just 27 years old, has re-joined the Los Angeles Rams on a one-year deal.

The Browns and former defensive coordinator Joe Woods, of course, played Johnson III wildly out of position. A pure box/slot for the Rams, the Browns made him their post safety, a role that was not a fit for the veteran. It would not be a surprise to see Johnson III return to form as he gets back into comfortability.

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Without a home: Former Browns who remain unsigned in NFL free agency

Well beyond Jadeveon Clowney and Kareem Hunt, there are numerous former Browns players still on the open market and in search of a new home.

While the Cleveland Browns have had an aggressive offseason, adding talent all over the field on both sides of the football, some of their former players have been left behind. The likes of Kareem Hunt, Jadeveon Clowney, and John Johnson III have yet to find new teams in free agency thus far.

Veterans sometimes hold their cards close to the vest until training camp hits to continue their own training throughout the offseason without being tied to a team. However, for these three, the interest is more than likely low after an abysmal 2022 campaign.

Outside of these three, numerous former Browns players are waiting on their next deal. Here is the full list of unsigned players who at one time suited up in Cleveland.

5 safeties the Colts can replace Daniel Scott with

Here are a few options the Colts could consider in order to replace Daniel Scott.

The Indianapolis Colts revealed some unfortunate news Wednesday, placing rookie safety Daniel Scott on the injured reserve list after he suffered a torn ACL on the final play of OTAs last week.

A fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft out of California, Scott was expected to contribute significantly on special teams while providing depth as a versatile player in the safety room.

Because Scott was placed on the injured reserve list before the 53-man roster has been finalized, he will miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign.

Here are five safeties the Colts can replace Scott with going into training camp next month:

Browns adding $11 million in cap space on June 2

The Browns are set to receive an injection of cash on Friday

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The Cleveland Browns, who have already had a big offseason of spending in free agency and via the trade market, are now set to receive another $11 million in cap space on Friday, June 2. After designating both defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and safety John Johnson III as post-June 1 cuts, the cap savings from those releases will officially hit the books.

Currently sitting with about $5 million in cap space today, this added boost will allow the Browns to make a run at another talent. Could wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins perhaps be an option for the Browns as they look to air the ball out in 2023?

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