Rams Re-Sign Familiar Face on 4th of July
The Los Angeles Rams clearly made the defensive backfield a priority this offseason, bringing Darious Williams back early in free agency and signing Tre'Davious White on a deal that could be worth up to $10 million.
The team decided that more additions were required before training, and that a little something like a holiday wasn't going to stop them. Right around the time 4th of July cookouts were really getting going, the team announced that they were bringing another familiar face back in the secondary.
The Rams have re-signed safety John Johnson III, the team announced. Johnson was a training camp addition a year ago in his second stint with the Rams, and he'll provide some secondary depth again in 2024
— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) July 4, 2024
Rams News: John Johnson III Re-Signed
Free agent safety John Johnson III has officially re-signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Details on the contract weren't revealed, but considering the last contract the two sides agreed to, we can expect this reunion to be on a short-term and low-cost deal as well.
Johnson started his career with the Rams from 2017 through 2020 before leaving to play two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Johnson and the Rams first reunited around this time last year (August 7, 2023) with a 1-year, $1.08 million signing.
Johnson proved to largely be a depth piece in his return. He was credited with 8 starts, but played just 46% of the team's total defensive snaps, while also contributing on 23% of the special teams snaps. Russ Yeast, who returns in 2024, regularly played ahead of Johnson.
Adding on the fact that the Rams gave safety Kamren Curl a 2-year, $8.75 million deal earlier this offseason, Johnson can be assumed to be taking on a depth role, with a contract that will reflect as much.
That makes this a quality low-risk signing for the Rams. His contract will probably be easy to get out of, meaning the Rams don't even have to end up carrying him on the 53-man roster. If he doesn't show enough at training camp, they can easily move on from him.
But he's a seven-year vet with experience in the Rams' system, and he showed a ton of versatility last year. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson lined up at free safety for about half of his snaps, moved up into the box on 17%, and lined up as a slot corner on 12%. Being able to fill in as needed at multiple positions is very valuable for a depth player — especially if the Rams are hoping to make a deep playoff run.
Of course, this signing doesn't exactly move the needle on the overall season outlook in L.A. This team has just the 14th-best Super Bowl odds in the NFL (+3000 on FanDuel Sportsbook), and a rotational DB isn't going to cause that number to move.
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