Tag: John Johnson

Watch: The always-entertaining John Johnson III was mic’d up vs. Ravens

John Johnson was mic’d up during the Rams’ loss to the Ravens and he was entertaining as usual

John Johnson started the season slowly, getting very little playing time in his return to the Los Angeles Rams. However, he’s taken over the starting job in the last four weeks and he’s once again performing at a high level.

One thing Sean McVay has pointed out about Johnson is his leadership on the back end, being a veteran who’s in his seventh season in the NFL. Communication is key at the safety position and that’s something Johnson seems to help with.

Being the vocal and outgoing player that he is, Johnson was a perfect choice to be mic’d up in the Rams’ game against the Ravens on Sunday. The always-entertaining safety didn’t talk trash, but he did have some funny moments on the sidelines – notably after Ahkello Witherspoon’s interception and Puka Nacua’s diving grab.

Rams’ defense has been playing lights out since Week 10 bye

The Rams have held all three of their opponents since their bye week in Week 10 to 19 or fewer points.

Much was made about the inexperienced defense the Los Angeles Rams trotted out to begin the 2023 season. Following the departures of Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, and Bobby Wagner, the Rams elected to start plenty of first- and second-year players instead of replacing those players with veterans.

There have understandably been growing pains for a new-look defensive unit since the season opener versus the Seattle Seahawks. Raheem Morris and the rest of the coaching staff have had to adjust on the fly and make alterations to the starting unit, whether it be due to injuries or because of a player not performing up to the team’s standards.

Aside from Aaron Donald, Jordan Fuller, John Johnson III, and Akhello Witherspoon, the other seven starters on defense in Week 13 have played three or fewer seasons in the NFL. And after a few rough patches early in the season, the defense has begun to round into form since the Rams had their bye week in Week 10.

In their last three games against the Cleveland Browns, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Seattle Seahawks, the defense has held each of their opponents to 19 or fewer points. All three phases of the defense have done their part in evolving into a formidable group, with rookies Kobie Turner and Byron Young emerging as key contributors alongside Donald.

Ernest Jones has become a leader in the middle of the defense, and Ahkello Witherspoon has continued to be a solid signing for the Rams in the secondary. Quentin Lake has been dealing with an injury in recent weeks, but he was also becoming a marquee fixture in the secondary as he was playing the ‘star’ role in Morris’ defense.

When it comes to advanced numbers, the defense has allowed an EPA per play of -0.086 (10th-best in the NFL) since Week 11. The pass defense specifically has been dominant, permitting a dropback EPA per play of -0.132 in the last three weeks, which is the sixth-best mark in the league in that span.

The last time the Rams had a three-game stretch of allowing 19 or fewer points was from Week 5 through 7 during the 2021 season. Besides the young players who have performed well to help the defense drastically improve, credit deserves to go to Morris, Sean McVay, and the rest of the coaching staff for the job they’ve done with this current group.

Sean McVay calls John Johnson’s interception ‘the play of the game’ vs. Browns

Sean McVay loved the play John Johnson made in the fourth quarter to help the Rams pull away from the Browns

There were a lot of key plays made by the Rams in their 36-19 win over the Browns on Sunday afternoon. Puka Nacua scored a 70-yard touchdown in the first half, Demarcus Robinson had a 30-yard catch on second-and-20 and Russ Yeast broke up a fourth-down pass to halt the Browns’ drive in the fourth quarter.

However, if you ask Sean McVay, John Johnson’s interception with 6:51 left in the fourth was the play of the game.

“For him to make that play against his old team, be able to make a great return to put us in what would already be in scoring position. and then for us to be able to cap that off, I did think that was the play of the game and I think that’s where the turning point came into play,” McVay said.

At the time, the Rams were only up 20-19, holding a one-point lead midway through the fourth. The Browns very well could have taken the ball and marched down the field for a go-ahead field goal or touchdown, but Johnson took advantage of an inaccurate deep ball by Joe Flacco.

You can be assured he was thrilled to come up with the pick against his former team, even sending a shot their way after the win. If not for that play, the outcome of the game could’ve been much different.

Watch: Sean McVay hands out 4 game balls, Puka Nacua goes crazy after getting his

Puka Nacua got a game ball after going over 1,000 yards on the year and he was fired up over it

When you win three games in a row, players get fired up. That’s exactly what the Rams have shown in the last three weeks, beating the Seahawks, Cardinals and Browns in their last three games.

After their victory on over Cleveland on Sunday, the Rams’ locker room was full of energy. Sean McVay handed out four game balls to players who had a big impact on the game and their teammates showed a ton of excitement for each guy.

First up was Alaric Jackson, who helped shut down Myles Garrett and the Browns’ pass rushers. Matthew Stafford also got a game ball for his 279-yard performance, tossing three more touchdown passes. John Johnson, whose interception helped set up a crucial touchdown to go up eight points, got a game ball, too.

Puka Nacua was the final player to get one after his 139-yard performance, putting him over 1,000 yards on the season. He went crazy after getting his game ball, spiking it into the ground and breaking down the huddle.

John Johnson sends shot at Browns on Twitter after 36-19 win

John Johnson took down his former team, the Browns, and sent a parting shot their way afterwards

John Johnson left the Rams in 2021 to sign with the Browns, inking a three-year deal in free agency that offseason. He only played two years in Cleveland, however, and returned to the Rams this year on a deal that paid him the veteran minimum.

He’s taken full advantage of his second chance with the Rams, taking over a starting role in the last few weeks. On Sunday, he played a big part in the team’s victory over the Browns, picking off Joe Flacco in the fourth quarter to set up Cooper Kupp’s touchdown for an eight-point lead.

After the win, Johnson sent a parting shot to his former team on Twitter, letting them know what they lost by cutting him this offseason.

The Browns may have the better record, but Johnson is 1-0 against them this season.

Watch: John Johnson III comes up with first INT of season vs. Browns

John Johnson picked a great time for his first interception of the season

John Johnson III picked a perfect time for his first interception of the season, and it came against his former team, nonetheless. In the fourth quarter with the Rams leading by just one point, Johnson patrolled the middle of the field and picked off Joe Flacco’s deep shot easily.

He returned it 42 yards to help set up Cooper Kupp’s touchdown, which gave the Rams a 27-19 lead – making things much more comfortable for Los Angeles.

Here’s the interception by Johnson, who continues to get better each week in his increased role in the secondary.

Kupp hasn’t had a huge impact as a receiver in recent weeks, but this touchdown was a big one.

John Johnson reflects on Browns tenure, felt like he was ‘kind of in limbo’

John Johnson will face his former team on Sunday, but he’s not treating the Browns differently than any other opponent

John Johnson III left the Rams in free agency in 2021 after spending the first four years of his career in Los Angeles. He signed a three-year, $33.75 million deal with the Browns, but he only played two years of that contract before being cut by the team this past March.

On Sunday, he’ll get to face his former team as a member of his original team when the Rams square off against the Browns. Johnson started the year slow and didn’t earn significant snaps until Week 11, but he’s a full-time player now as the Rams gear up to face Cleveland this weekend.

Johnson told Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News that while “it’ll be fun” to face the Browns, he’s treating it like any other game.

“I told somebody else it’s going to feel like practice a little bit,” Johnson said, “but we can actually go live, tackle them to ground. So it’ll be fun, but when I’m out there it’s a nameless, faceless opponent wearing orange colors.”

Johnson’s tenure with the Browns didn’t go according to plan. He played and started 32 games in two seasons, but he fell out of favor after struggling a bit in 2022, leading to his release.

Johnson said he felt like he was “kind of in limbo,” though he did admit he could’ve done things a little bit differently to help himself in Cleveland.

“I felt like I stayed stagnant, if anything,” he said. “I felt like I was just kind of in limbo. … I probably could have did some things differently, but the past is the past and I got another opportunity to prove who I am.”

Johnson is coming off his best game of the season, recording four tackles with two pass breakups against the Cardinals. With Quentin Lake likely out another week, Johnson should continue to see a lot of playing time this week against Cleveland.

After slow start, John Johnson III has finally earned bigger role with Rams

Sean McVay admits John Johnson took “a little bit longer” than expected to get back in game shape, but he’s earned a bigger role now

Needing a veteran presence in a very young secondary, the Los Angeles Rams brought back a familiar face: John Johnson III. They signed him on August 7, reuniting with the safety they drafted in the third round in 2017.

Fans loved the move when it was made, but it took a while for Johnson to get on the field – a surprising development for a player who had performed at such a high level during his first Rams tenure from 2017-2020.

In the first eight games of the season, he played nine total snaps on defense. In Week 9, he played 16 snaps. But on Sunday against the Seahawks, he was on the field for 46 defensive plays, or a season-high 71%.

That increase in playing time came at the expense of Russ Yeast, who went from playing between 92% and 100% of the snaps in the first nine games to playing just 22% on Sunday. Sean McVay shed some light on the change Monday, indicating that Johnson took longer than expected to get back in game shape and up to speed in Los Angeles. Coming out of the bye, Johnson is looking like the player the Rams expected him to be, so he’s carved out a bigger role for himself.

“I think John had earned the right to be able to get on the grass,” McVay said. “He had done a good job. He’s a guy that we had a lot of confidence in. I think there was a timetable that it took, maybe a little bit longer, to get himself back into the shape or feeling good, and some of the different things that are in alignment with the JJ that we know. I thought he did a really good job yesterday and then I thought Russ capitalized on the snaps that he did play and some crucial known passing situations for us.”

In his first extended look of the season, Johnson made three tackles and had one pass breakup. He didn’t miss any tackles, either, which is an issue that has plagued Yeast all season. In coverage, Johnson didn’t allow a reception on the two plays where he was targeted.

With Quentin Lake playing every snap, primarily as the slot defender, Johnson appears to be the second safety next to Jordan Fuller, with Yeast playing a reserve role.

4 players Chargers should trade for ahead of NFL trade deadline

Here are four names that could fit the bill for the Chargers as the trade deadline nears.

The NFL trade deadline is close.

Sitting at 3-4 and still in a spot to make a playoff run, the Chargers could afford to add some reinforcements at positions of need.

With that said, each Chargers Wire writer laid out a player that Los Angeles should look to inquire about.

John Johnson III hasn’t turned out to be the free-agent steal many thought he was

The Rams reunited with John Johnson III this offseason but he’s struggling to even get on the field at safety

With a lot of youth and inexperience at safety, the Los Angeles Rams turned to a familiar face this offseason: John Johnson III, a seventh-year veteran who was surprisingly still available on the free-agent market. The Rams scooped him up in August, adding depth to a safety room that featured Jordan Fuller, Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake.

It was logical to think that Johnson would quickly become a starter alongside Fuller, but maybe there’s a reason he only got a contract worth the veteran minimum of $1.08 million in 2023. Through four games, Johnson has barely seen the field and has almost exclusively been a special teams player.

He didn’t play a defensive snap in Weeks 1, 3 or 4, and in the only game he did play defense – Week 2 against the 49ers – he played only four total snaps. Meanwhile, Fuller has played all 249 snaps and Yeast has played 248. Even Lake is ahead of Johnson as the third safety, playing 43 snaps in four games thus far.

Sean McVay, Raheem Morris and several Rams players were jacked about getting Johnson back in Los Angeles, raving about his knowledge of the defense and his history as a playmaker. So why isn’t he getting any looks on defense?

The Rams simply like their younger guys better, and thus far, Fuller, Yeast and Lake have given them no reason to mess with the status quo. While none of them are playing at a Pro Bowl level, they’ve been plenty good enough to remain the starters. Yeast plays with a ton of energy on the back end and Fuller is an unquestioned leader in the secondary. Lake has done a nice job in coverage when given opportunities, too.

Very simply, the Rams haven’t needed Johnson and it seems like he hasn’t done enough in practice to earn reps on defense. There’s no guarantee that will change, either.