Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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:
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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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.
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:
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?
Six teams are picking up cap space this Friday as a result of prior Post-June 1 designated releases:
▫️Dolphins: $13.6M
▫️Browns: $10.915M
▫️Cowboys: $10.9M
▫️Commanders: $4M
▫️Broncos: $3.75M
▫️Cardinals: $3.215MSome extra spending power soon available.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 31, 2023
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Should the Jets sign John Johnson III?
With the draft and most of free agency in the books, rosters across the NFL are mostly set. But there are still some free agents out there that can help fill in gaps for teams as we get closer to training camp.
Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger recently came up with one last offseason move each NFL team should make. For the Jets, he’s eyeing the backend of the defense with safety John Johnson III.
The Jets made a strong value trade with the Baltimore Ravens for safety Chuck Clark and have some solid depth options, but if they want to add a true deep-third free safety with range, the ability to occasionally cover the slot and versatility in three-safety personnel packages, Johnson could add another dimension on the back end.
Clark and Jordan Whitehead are the current projected starters for the Jets. Johnson would add extra value to the backend for a team that has pushed all its chips into the pot. Johnson has 12 career interceptions over six seasons between the Rams and Browns. He has at least one interception in every season.
Johnson has also reached 100 tackles three times, including last season when he totaled 101 tackles.
Adding a player like Johnson could give defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich a lot of versatility across the board. We’ll see if the Jets actually go through with it.
Here is a recap of the last week’s Browns news.
In the last week, the Cleveland Browns have nearly completed their coaching staff deciding to give quarterback duties to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. We discuss what this means, and why some are disappointed, and we discuss Van Pelts’s history as a quarterback coach. On the same day, the team announced that veteran offensive coach Bill Musgrave was joining the team as a senior offensive assistant. We also hit on the release of John Johnson III
The show continues talking about the offseason so far and discuss Andrew Berry’s press conference from the NFL Scouting Combine. You can watch this week’s podcast here on YouTube to hear all these topics and more looking at the last week of Browns news.
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The safety thanks the Browns for his opportunity.
After the news broke that the Cleveland Browns would release safety John Johnson III, the former Pro Bowler has released a statement to Cleveland dot com’s Mary Kay Cabot:
“I appreciate the Cleveland Browns for the opportunity. The city is truly one of a kind. I wish that I could’ve done more while here; however, I know that my best ball is ahead of me. I pray great things for my former teammates.”
Johnson III has a chance to return to form if he falls into a system that once again allows him to creep back up toward the line of scrimmage rather than playing at a true free safety post. Free agency is set to open up on March 15.
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The Browns are expected to release former Rams safety John Johnson III, giving the safety-deprived Packers another option this offseason.
The Cleveland Browns will release veteran safety John Johnson III by the start of the new league year, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The expected move will provide the safety-deprived Green Bay Packers with another veteran option in terms of fixing the roster need.
What makes Johnson especially intriguing for the Packers? He played his best football over four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams between the 2017 and 2020 seasons. Not only was Matt LaFleur in Los Angeles with Johnson in 2017, but Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry was on the defensive coaching staff of the Rams during all four seasons Johnson was in Los Angeles, providing a clear and important connection between player and team.
When his rookie deal with the Rams expired following the 2020 season, Johnson signed a three-year deal with the Cleveland Browns, but he wasn’t as effective in a new system with the Browns and will now be released prior to finishing the contract.
However, Johnson turned 28 years old in December and could still be a quality player in Barry’s split-safety system in Green Bay.
The Packers certainly need help at the position, where Adrian Amos and Rudy Ford are free agents and Darnell Savage is likely headed to the slot in an effort to revive his career.
Could Johnson provide the veteran answer?
In four of the last five years, Johnson played at least 900 snaps, highlighting his availability. When with the Rams, Johnson was excellent in coverage and considered an above-average run defender. According to Pro Football Focus, he broke up 22 passes, intercepted eight more and produced 88 stops while playing in the box, at free safety and even some in the slot.
Johnson missed too many tackles while with the Browns and wasn’t as disruptive in coverage, but he still intercepted as many passes (4) as he allowed touchdown passes over two seasons, and his passer rating against in coverage was below 80.0 in Cleveland, per PFF.
The Packers could use a reliable coverage safety who knows the two-high system and could take over the many roles Amos filled at the backend of the defense.
It’s worth a look. If Johnson can rebound and play at somewhere near the level he did in Los Angeles, he could be one of the best under-the-radar signings of the offseason. A chance to play in Barry’s system might both entice Johnson to Green Bay and give him the best chance to return to his 2017-20 level of play while also solving a big roster need for the Packers.
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The Browns already have a John Johnson III replacement in mind.
The Cleveland Browns are set to release a former splash free agency signing in safety John Johnson III, and apparently, they already have his replacement on the radar as free agency approaches. According to Cleveland dot com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns are expected to pursue Jessie Bates, who has played his career just down I-71 South with the Cincinnati Bengals to this point, when free agency opens.
Safety, defensive tackle, wide receiver, and defensive end are going to be the big priorities for the Browns this offseason. Free agency is step one to pulling this off with the 2023 NFL Draft giving the team another opportunity to add talent.
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