Tag: Quindell Johnson

Rams sign OL Justin Dedich to 53-man roster, DB Quindell Johnson to practice squad

The Rams made a couple of roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game against the 49ers

With Jonah Jackson and John Johnson III heading to injured reserve, the Los Angeles Rams have brought in some depth at both guard and safety. The Rams signed Justin Dedich from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday, also signing Quindell Johnson to the practice squad.

Dedich is a rookie who was signed as an undrafted free agent this year but he was cut before the season began. He’s been on the practice squad since but will not have an opportunity to be a member of the active roster.

Johnson was signed by the Rams as an undrafted rookie last year but was one of their final cuts. He was claimed off waivers by the Bears and was waived last month, opening the door for him to return to the Rams.

Dedich will help at guard by backing up Logan Bruss, while Johnson will likely stay on the practice squad as an emergency option behind the Rams’ starters and backup safeties.

Highlights of every new Bears roster addition

The Bears added four new faces to the roster, including Dan Feeney and Trent Taylor. Check out highlights of each player:

The Chicago Bears made several roster moves after setting their initial 53-man roster. They claimed two players off of waivers and added a couple of other players through free agency and trade.

Chicago traded for offensive lineman Dan Feeney, sending a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins. Feeney provides depth along the interior offensive line, where he’s played center and both guard positions.

The Bears claimed defensive end Khalid Kareem and safety Quindell Johnson off waivers, addressing depth concerns at both positions. They also went out and signed Trent Taylor to serve as punt returner.

In corresponding roster moves, Chicago waived defensive end Terrell Lewis and safety A.J. Thomas. They also placed left guard Teven Jenkins and center Doug Kramer on injured reserve.

The Bears have welcomed four new members to the roster. Here are highlights of each of them:

Grading the Bears’ waiver claims and signings from Wednesday

The Bears added three new players to their roster. Here are our initial grades of the moves.

Like every other NFL front office member, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was a busy man over the last 48 hours. Poles and the Bears worked to finalize the initial active roster on Tuesday, but did more tinkering the next day with a couple of waiver claims and a free agent signing.

On Wednesday, the Bears claimed safety Quindell Johnson from the Los Angeles Rams and Khalid Kareem from the Indianapolis Colts. They also signed recently released punt returner Trent Taylor from the Cincinnati Bengals. In order to make room for the two waiver claims, the Bears waived safety A.J. Thomas and defensive end Terrell Lewis. No corresponding roster move has been made as of this writing for Taylor’s arrival.

The Bears were looking for depth at a couple of defensive positions and had a need for a new punt returner. Poles was able to accomplish that and fortify his team for their upcoming Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

As for the players themselves, did the Bears hit the mark? Or were there other options on the market that would have been better pickups? Here are our initial grades for Wednesday’s acquisitions.

Bears claim former Rams DB Quindell Johnson off waivers

The Bears have made a second waiver claim, adding former Rams safety Quindell Johnson to the roster.

The Chicago Bears are utilizing their top waiver wire priority. After claiming defensive end Khalid Kareem, the Bears have made a move in the secondary.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Chicago has claimed former Los Angeles Rams safety Quindell Johnson.

Johnson was signed by the Rams as an undrafted rookie out of Memphis. He’s a versatile defensive back who can play safety, in the slot or in the box.

Johnson shined in the Rams’ preseason finale, where he had eight tackles, one sack and a pass breakup.

Chicago needed to address depth at safety behind starters Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker. While Elijah Hicks felt like a roster lock, A.J. Thomas was a surprising name that made the initial roster.

The Bears will have to make a corresponding roster move, which likely means Thomas will be a casualty.

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Bears claim rookie DB Quindell Johnson off waivers from Rams

The Bears, who held the top spot in the waiver order, claimed DB Quindell Johnson from the Rams

Well, it didn’t take long for the Los Angeles Rams to lose their first player on the waiver wire. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Chicago Bears claimed rookie defensive back Quindell Johnson off waivers from the Rams.

Johnson was among the players cut by Los Angeles on Tuesday, though he was probably someone the Rams wanted to bring back on the practice squad. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening as he’s now headed to Chicago.

The Rams signed Johnson as an undrafted rookie out of Memphis this year. He’s a versatile defensive back who can play safety, cover the slot or line up in the box, and his performance in the preseason finale may have been what piqued the Bears’ interest.

In that game, he had eight tackles, one sack and a pass breakup, putting together a fantastic game to close out the preseason.

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How John Johnson’s return affects the Rams’ depth chart at safety

With John Johnson returning to the Rams, it shakes up the depth chart at safety ahead of the 2023 season

The Los Angeles Rams are reuniting with John Johnson, agreeing to a one-year deal with the veteran safety. Johnson’s return alters the outlook of the secondary and it will undoubtedly affect how the depth chart shakes out ahead of Week 1.

Prior to a two-year stint with the Cleveland Browns in 2021 and 2022, Johnson was with the Rams from 2017 to 2020. Johnson quickly became a starter when he joined the Rams in 2017 and became a defensive captain rather quickly, producing 32 pass breakups and eight interceptions in his four years in Los Angeles.

Before Johnson reunited with the Rams, the starting safeties for the 2023 campaign were expected to be Jordan Fuller and either Quentin Lake or Russ Yeast. Fuller was listed as the starting strong safety, while Yeast and Fuller were battling to be the starting free safety.

Considering his previous experience with the Rams, and the fact he’s still a productive safety at only 27 years old, Johnson figures to slide in as the starting free safety this season. That means that guys like Yeast, Lake, and Jason Taylor II will be relegated to reserve or special teams roles to begin the upcoming season.

At the moment, the Rams may not have confidence in either Yeast or Lake making the leap to full-time starter yet. While Johnson’s presence will almost certainly prevent him from starting, Lake has been moving around the defense throughout training camp, even playing dime linebacker in practice.

Besides Yeast and Lake seeing their chances of starting decline, the odds of undrafted rookies Quindell Johnson and Tanner Ingle making the roster have also taken a hit. The same goes for Richard LeCounte III. The five safeties that are expected to remain on the roster are now Johnson, Fuller, Yeast, Lake, and Taylor.

It’s highly improbable that the Rams consider keeping six or more safeties on the 53-man roster, which means that Johnson, Ingle and LeCounte’s best chance to remain in Los Angeles is via the practice squad. Along with bringing experience and production to the secondary, Johnson’s return to the Rams will make it interesting when the team needs to decide their depth chart at the safety position.

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6 Rams rookies to watch during training camp this year

Here are six rookies for Rams fans to keep an eye on during training camp this year.

The Los Angeles Rams are gearing up to begin their training camp festivities, and this year is an entirely different challenge for Sean McVay and company. Following a disastrous 2022 campaign, the Rams have reshaped their roster for the upcoming season, which will unquestionably have a fair share of rookies and inexperienced players in significant roles.

During the 2023 NFL draft, the Rams made 14 selections in the seven rounds. Los Angeles also has 22 undrafted rookies set to compete for roster spots in training camp in the coming weeks.

With 36 total first-year players on the current roster, here are six rookies to watch for as the Rams begin training camp.

Quindell Johnson named as UDFA to watch for Rams in 2023

DraftWire’s Jeff Risdon listed a UDFA to watch for each team this season and Quindell Johnson was named for the Rams.

The Los Angeles Rams concluded the 2023 NFL draft with a whopping 14 selections and it was followed by the team signing 26 undrafted free agents thus far. With the draft now in the rearview mirror, DraftWire’s Jeff Risdon mentioned Memphis safety Quindell Johnson as an undrafted rookie to watch for the Rams.

Here is what Risdon had to say about the Memphis product:

Johnson can play any safety role, but he projects best in a “hang” role that allows him to uses his ball skills and avoids his lack of long speed. A smart, quick-eyed safety who doesn’t miss tackles and can play on special teams. The Rams could use two of him…

In his four seasons at Memphis, Johnson accumulated 320 tackles (including a 104-tackle campaign in 2021), 24 pass breakups, 10 interceptions, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Johnson isn’t the fastest safety as he ran a 4.53 40-yard dash and produced a 1.58 10-yard split.

That being said, Johnson’s instincts to make plays on the ball make him an intriguing undrafted rookie. He can also provide contributions on special teams, which is always valuable for a player that isn’t expected to be starting.

The Rams lost Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp this offseason at the safety position, and a decent portion of their roster is now first-year players. Being that the Rams will give opportunities to all of the rookies to carve out roles in 2023, Johnson is an undrafted free agent who could certainly earn a roster spot.

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Packers host Memphis S Quindell Johnson for official pre-draft visit

The Packers hosted Memphis safety Quindell Johnson for a top-30 visit before the 2023 draft.

The Green Bay Packers hosted Memphis safety Quindell Johnson for an official top-30 visit before the 2023 NFL draft, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Johnson (6-0, 201) played in 50 games and made 37 starts over five seasons at Memphis. He filled up the stat sheet, producing 320 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 10 interceptions, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 34 pass breakups and 1.0 sacks. He also blocked an extra point and a field goal. Johnson was a three-time All-AAC selection.

At the Memphis pro day, Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, hit 32.5″ in the vertical leap, covered 10-10 in the broad jump and finished the short shuttle in 4.24 seconds. His Relative Athletic Score is 7.31 out of 10.0.

According to PFF, Johnson played over 100 snaps in the box, as a deep safety and in the slot, highlighting his alignment versatility. He did miss 18 tackles as a redshirt senior in 2022.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Johnson as the No. 32 overall safety in the draft class and a likely priority free agent.

The Packers need developmental players at safety and could target Johnson on Day 3 or after the draft.

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Podcast: Overhauling the defense with a 2023 NFL Mock Draft

The Browns add depth all over their defense in this mock draft.

The offseason is starting to hear up with free agency coming next week for all 32 NFL teams. Regardless of what the Cleveland Browns due during that period, getting young players for the future in the 2023 NFL Draft is as important. In this 2023 NFL Mock Draft, landing Northwestern freak Adetomiwa Adebawore is an excellent start.

Trying to do my best Andrew Berry impersonation, I traded back and out of a few spots and ended up adding four picks in next year’s draft before landing Adebawore. Trying to set up Jim Schwartz for the future, I drafted defensive players at every level to develop under Schwartz.

You can listen to this episode here for the audio version or watch it here for the video version.

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